Mine
by Vietta
Summary: Reno wants nothing more than a kiss he doesn't have to steal, but he'll take what he can get. R&R! Events are set after Advent Children.
1. Chapter 1

Reno shot a rubber band across the room with a snicker. He had been launching rubber bands at a makeshift target he had taped to the wall for about an hour and he was unabashedly enjoying the annoyance radiating from the blonde girl in front of it.

"Reno shoot those somewhere else." Elena irritably brushed the rubber band off of her desk.

"But the target's over there Laney!" Reno sniggered and launched another rubber band.

"How many of those do you have?" Elena scowled as the rubber band bounced onto the file she was trying to fill out.

"I don't know." Reno moved to launch another rubber band but it broke and hit him in the face.

"Karma." Elena grinned as Reno rubbed his nose.

"Stupid weak ass rubber bands." Reno launched another rubber band.

"I swear I'm going to beat you Reno." Elena frowned and launched the rubber band back at Reno.

He ducked, "Easy tiger!" Reno launched a rubber band back.

Rude chose this moment to walk into the office. The rubber band hit him in the forehead and he frowned at Reno. "What are you doing?"

"She shot a rubber band at me!" Reno pointed an accusing finger at Elena.

"Did you deserve it?" Rude sat at his desk.

"He deserved it alright." Elena glared at Reno.

Reno stuck his tongue out at her. "I wasn't shootin' them at you Laney I was shootin' them at the wall."

"At the wall right behind my head." Elena turned her focus back to her papers.

"Consider yourself lucky. He could have been launching paperclips." Rude pulled out his files.

"Ran out of paperclips." Reno launched another rubber band.

Reno spun his chair in circles as Elena and Rude did paperwork. Reno had run out of rubber bands and hour ago and he didn't dare retrieve them from the floor below Elena's desk. "I'm bored."

"Do work." Rude grunted as he signed his papers.

"That's _boring_." Reno sighed dramatically.

"You only have a half hour before shift ends! Go bother Tseng or something." Elena set her finished papers to the side.

"He'd make me do work." Reno shrugged and stared at the ceiling.

"Entertain yourself." Rude didn't even bother looking up from his papers as he answered.

"I don't think I can do _that_ in front of Laney." Reno winked at her.

She rolled her eyes, "Go scare people or something."

Reno stood up, "Sounds like a good idea." He walked out of the office.

"Probably not your best suggestion." Rude smirked.

"So long as it gets him out of our hair." Elena huffed as she continued her paperwork.

"I don't have hair." Rude chuckled and Elena stuck her tongue out at him before turning her attention back to her work.

It wasn't long before Reno found the perfect hiding place. He crawled behind the large ornamental bush in the break room and waited patiently. The only time he was ever quiet was when he was trying to pull a prank on someone. He soon spotted the perfect victim, a small blonde secretary with a stack of papers that was almost as tall as she was. He watched as she made her way towards the bush with even steps. He waited until the last second to jump out and yell. The secretary jumped with a frightened scream, papers flying everywhere. Reno ran from the scene laughing as she cursed at his retreating back.

Reno managed to scare four more people before he got bored again. It was hard for him to stay entertained and tormenting Elena had been the most fun he'd had in awhile. He went to the supply closet on their floor to look for more when he spotted her putting away the ones he had shot at her.

"BOO!" He yelled and watched her jump backwards, rubber bands flying everywhere. She tripped on a box and he caught her before she fell, laughing the whole time.

"Reno you bastard!" She clutched her chest and let him help her back up.

"Sorry Laney, couldn't resist." Reno winked cheekily.

"What the hell are you doing?" Elena asked as she began picking up the rubber bands.

"Scaring people." Reno shrugged.

She sighed, "I've got a better idea, why don't you go to the gym and train for once?"

Reno grinned, "Wanna come with me?"

"I've got paperwork to do." Elena shoved the rubber bands back into their box.

"You wouldn't be here if you had more to do." Reno pouted, "You just don't wanna play with me."

"That's because you don't play fair." Elena flicked her hair over her shoulder and shot him a smile.

"If I promise to play nicely today will you train with me?" Reno wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

She laughed, "Fine, let's go see if Rude wants to come too."

Reno grinned, "After you Laney." She left the supply room and Reno shoved a handful of rubber bands into his pocket before following.

"Yo Rude! You wanna come train with us?" Reno asked as he stored his precious rubber bands in his desk surreptitiously.

Rude raised an eyebrow, "Us?"

"Yeah us! Me, you, and Laney!" Reno jerked his thumb in Elena's direction.

"How did he con you into this? I thought we were going leave early to go shoot pool?" Rude looked around Rude to give Elena a confused glare.

She slapped herself in the forehead, "I totally forgot about that!"

"You guys were gonna go play pool without me!" Reno's jaw dropped.

"You don't play fair." Rude shrugged.

"And you swear like a sailor and beat people with the stick." Elena hid a smile behind her hand.

Reno gave an indignant huff, "But!...We always go together!....Wait a minute..." Reno frowned, "are you guys trying to hook up behind my back?"

Elena's hand could no longer repress her giggles, "I figured you'd take it that way."

Rude chuckled and stood, "No Reno, I'm not stealing Elena from you."

Reno grinned and threw an arm around Elena's shoulders, "You better not try and steal my Laney!"

Elena rolled her eyes and pushed Reno off. "You wish I was yours."

Reno grinned, "Why wish for what I already have?"

Elena's eyes rolled again and she lead the way out of the office, "So damned cocky. You comin' Rude?"

Rude chuckled, "Of course."

"Alright! Random bar here we come!" Reno yelled loud enough to unnerve the secretary they were passing in the hall. As she dropped her stack of papers he noticed it was the same secretary he had frightened earlier.

"YOU!" She screamed and pointed at him.

"ME!" Reno screamed back with a face splitting smile.

"Why do you keep scaring me!? Do you realize how mad at me Tseng is?" The secretary stooped and began picking up her papers with a sniff.

"Blame whatever the hell it is on me that's what his other secretary always did." Reno shrugged as Elena bent down to help the sniffling secretary.

"Reno why go after Tseng's secretary? You realize how pissed at you he's going to be now?" Elena frowned as she neatly stacked the papers.

Rude slowly snuck away from the scene to sign off on their shift. "Yo I didn't know she was the boss man's secretary. I thought his secretary was that brunette bomb-shell." Reno shrugged and leaned against the wall.

"She quit." The secretary grabbed her now stacked pile and stood back up. "Couldn't handle the hours. I think that was her piss poor excuse for not being able to handle _you_."

Reno grinned, "Keep that attitude up and you and I will be able to work together well babe." Reno gave her a wink.

She blushed fiercely while Elena intervened on her behalf, "Reno no one can work with you no matter what attitude they have."

"Explain Rude then." Reno continued to give the secretary a piercing and suggestive stare, grinning as she turned redder.

"I'm pretty sure he had a mental break down at some point." Elena led the secretary away, "I'm also sure that once I have one I'll be able to tolerate you too."

Reno pushed himself away from the wall and followed them, "You love me and you know it Laney." Reno threw an arm around her shoulders.

She groaned angrily before pushing him off, "I don't know anyone who doesn't love you Reno."

"See! I was right! You love me." Reno grinned impishly before giving the secretary a hard slap on the ass and running in the opposite direction as papers flew into the air.

Reno found Rude waiting by his car. "What's up yo?"

"What took so long?" Rude adjusted his sunglasses.

"Had to harass a secretary." Reno opened the door to the backseat and laid down.

Rude shook his head, "Where's Elena?"

Reno sniggered, "Helping the secretary recover."

Reno was sure that if Rude wasn't wearing sunglasses he would see the man's eyes rolling, "Think she'll fix the damage?"

Reno shrugged and laced his hands behind his head, "I dunno, maybe. That secretary is jumpy as hell though. One little smack on the ass and she's three feet in the air and hollerin'."

Rude sighed, "Can't keep your hands to yourself can you?"

"Of course he can't." Elena stomped over.

"Hey Laney!" Reno sat up and gave her a cheery wave.

"Don't 'hey Laney' me! I had to talk her out of pressing charges for sexual harassment against you!" Elena's hands balled into fists at her sides.

"Touchy ain't she?" Reno frowned.

"She's a total bitch Reno! Why the hell do you mess with people you don't know?" Elena climbed into the front seat.

"He doesn't discriminate." Rude pulled out his keys and started the car.

"That's supposed to be a good thing isn't it?" Reno sat up and rested his arms on the front seats.

"It isn't in this case Reno." Elena shot him a look over her shoulder.

Reno sighed, "So what do I have to do to get you to love me again Laney?"

Rude chuckled, "Reno no matter how many times you say she loves you it's not going to make her sleep with you."

Reno's jaw dropped comically, "I don't wanna sleep with her!" He winked at Elena, "Well, that's not _all_ I want."

"Pervert." Elena rolled her eyes.

"So where we going to shoot pool yo?" Reno slumped back in his seat with a smile.

"Seventh Heaven." Rude grunted.

"Hope Cloud isn't there. He's being a right ass lately." Reno leaned his head on his hand.

"It's your fault for grabbing Tifa's ass." Elena adjusted her hair in the rear view mirror.

"I didn't know they were together!" Reno threw his hands in the air as he spoke, "How the heck as I supposed to know blondie would get defensive over a little ass grab."

Rude shook his head, "Everyone knows they're together dumb-ass."

"He still overreacted." Reno frowned as Rude pulled into the parking lot.

"Just keep your hands to yourself this time." Rude chuckled and stepped out of the car.

"Easier said than done yo." Reno sniggered and climbed out of the car.

Tifa greeted them kindly from behind the bar, even smiling at Reno. "What can I get you?"

Elena slapped a hand over Reno's mouth before he could even begin the inappropriate comment rolling off the tip of his tongue, "We've got work tomorrow so we should probably just have soda."

Rude nodded in agreement and Tifa hurried to comply. "You guys make it too easy on me."

"Slow night Tifa?" Reno asked as he scanned the near empty bar, only a few regulars littered the counter.

Tifa shrugged and passed them their glasses. "It's a weeknight, most people don't want to drink."

Elena took her drink to the pool table and started to set up a game, "Wanna play a game with us then?"

Tifa wiped her hands on a towel, "Sure." She eyed Reno warily, "Make sure you keep your hands to yourself though. I don't think I'll be able to keep Cloud at bay if you get grabby again."

Reno laughed and gave her a sloppy salute, "Understood."

**Author's Note: So whaddaya think? I'm probably going to continue this whether you review or not but reviews will make the process go faster ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

Reno walked into the office wearing dark glasses and looking sloppier than usual. He winced at every noise as he sat down behind his desk. This did not go unnoticed by Rude. "You're hungover."

"No no Rude, I'm _Reno_." Reno rubbed his eyes under his glasses with an open mouthed smirk.

"Tseng's going to be pissed at you." Rude tapped away at his keyboard, already hard at work.

"I came in on time for once." Reno shrugged and leaned back, lowering his lids behind the glasses, "That's gotta count for something."

"That's how he'll know you're hungover." Rude snorted.

"Shut up for a bit will ya? You're makin' ma head hurt." Reno groaned and ran his hands over his face.

Elena walked into the office, every step sounding like a hammer fall in Reno's ears. "Morning guys!" Reno groaned and she raised an eyebrow, "Hungover?"

"Very." Reno smiled wanly.

"Tseng's gonna be pissed." Elena pulled her papers out of her desk and set them down with a light thud.

Reno whimpered, "Shhhh..."

"Why am I going to be pissed?" Tseng walked in and scanned the group, his eyes coming to rest on Reno, "I see. Hungover?"

"Give me a half-hour and I won't be." Reno sat up gingerly, preparing himself for Tseng's inevitable anger.

"You don't have a half-hour you have ten minutes. I need to see you all in my office then." Tseng frowned.

"I'll make sure to sober up then." Reno leaned forward and cupped his head in his hands.

"See that you do." Tseng turned on his heel and slammed the door, causing Reno to flinch painfully.

"What do you think this is about?" Elena asked Rude, ignoring Reno's half whispered swears.

"Probably a new mission." Rude stayed stony faced and continued typing away.

"Shhh..." Reno put a finger to his lips.

They walked into Tseng's office in Reno imposed silence ten minutes later. "Sit." Tseng ordered politely.

They sat, Reno propping his feet on the desk. Tseng gave his feet an unceremonious shove, "I have an assignment for you all."

"We protecting Rufy again?" Reno leaned back in his chair, feet now planted firmly on the floor.

"Yes," Tseng frowned, "But you're going to do more than that."

"Oh?" Reno cocked his head to one side.

Tseng tried to ignore him and finish his briefing, "Outwardly you're all going to be doing the general bodyguard work while blending in with the crowd. In actuality you'll be getting some intel we need recovered."

"It's not nude pics of Rufus again is it?" Reno groaned.

Again, Tseng ignored him, "We know that someone has found our plans for a new weapon going through testing in our labs. We also know that this person is holding party in three weeks that the President will attend. We have reason to believe that this person is keeping the files in his main office and we know that he has a heavy duty surveillance and security system. Your job is to get past this security system while special troops create a diversion. One of you must stay with the President at all times in case anything goes-"

"Not it!" Reno said hastily.

"Not it!" Elena followed his lead.

"Sorry Rude. you're stuck with him." Reno sniggered.

Rude merely grunted. Tseng shook his head and continued, "goes wrong. Any questions?"

Elena raised her hand and then quickly lowered it, blushing as Reno started to laugh at her, "Since it's a party are we going in Turk uniform or..." She let the sentence hang.

"I said you'd be blending in with the crowd didn't I?" Tseng smiled at her and shot the giggling Reno a glare. "The only thing that will give you away as body guards is the fact that you'll be armed. Since most everyone carries a weapon these days even that might remain unnoticed."

Reno clutched his head in self-induced agony as his own laughter caused his head to throb painfully, "So we get new duds?"

"Your 'duds' are going to be picked out for you and _will_ be returned in mint condition." He directed this sentence at Reno, "We want to make sure you don't draw too much attention to yourselves and that you aren't so ridiculously out of style that you stick out like a poorly dressed sore thumb." Tseng avoided Reno's gaze as he felt the red-head's eyes trying to drill a small hole in his skull.

"You're going to _dress_ us?" Reno frowned.

"You remember the last time we let you wear what you wanted?" Tseng shuddered involuntarily at the memory.

Reno rolled his eyes, "Pfft! It wasn't _that_ bad!"

"Reno you didn't wear _anything_." Tseng frowned.

"Like I said," Reno winked at him, "It wasn't that bad. Besides you exaggerate Tsengy, I _was_ wearing the tie."

Tseng rolled his eyes and handed Rude the file, "Make sure you look that over and memorize every detail." He glared pointedly at Reno, who fell silent and stopped wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at Elena, "that goes for _all_ of you. Dismissed."

Reno rocketed to his feet, ignoring the dizzying vertigo this motion caused, and gave a mock salute, "Right o' boss-man."

They went back to the large communal office and went back to work, Rude beginning to make copies of their mission report for all of them. Elena started back to work on her own files as Reno sat down, "I thought you only had soda last night Reno?"

Reno winked at her and pushed his shades farther up his nose, "I only had soda while I was with you guys."

"So after we went home you went back out?" Elena frowned disapprovingly.

"Course not." Reno leaned back and placed his feet on his desk, right on top of the mission report Rude had just copied for him, "I have booze at home Laney."

"He keeps enough for a bar in his house." Rude picked Reno's feet up and pulled the crinkled papers out from under them, setting them neatly on top of a large straight stack of untouched paperwork.

"I wouldn't say I have that much booze." Reno grinned, "I bet Tifa's still got more booze at her place than I've got at mine."

"Only because you drink like a fish." Rude handed Elena her report.

"So do her customers." Reno shrugged.

"I bet she could sell booze for a _month_ and not get rid of as much liquor as you do in _three_ of your drinking episodes." Elena giggled.

Reno chewed his lower lip thoughtfully, "I wonder if she'd make a bet with me on that..."

"You're going to box your liver at this rate you know that right?" Elena's brow creased with worry.

"Don't fret mother hen I'll make sure my liver gets through all three rounds." Reno grinned and went back to his plotting.

Elena sighed and went back to her work, giving Reno's drinking habits up as a lost cause.

**Author's Note: So whatcha think? Too short? Too long? Not obnoxious enough? I crave your reviews, they are like my drug O.O **

**(xD)**


	3. Chapter 3

Elena walked into the office, already having a bad day. She had burnt herself while straightening her hair, had spilled hot coffee all over her shirt and had had to change, had missed breakfast, and was late, something that was entirely out of character for her. She sat at her desk, a fresh cup of coffee in her hand. She turned on her computer with one hand and reached into her inbox with the other, ready to copy the file into the computer. When her hand hit empty air she whipped her head around, confused. Her inbox was empty yet she remembered that she had left three files in it the night before. She frowned and scoured her immaculate and organized desk, convinced that the files had to be there _somewhere_. She frowned and looked at Rude, "Did you take my files?"

"No." Rude didn't look up from his own work, "Why would I want extra work?"

"Reno?" Elena had to stand up in her chair to him see over his insanely cluttered desk.

"What?" Reno sat up with a confused expression.

"Do you have my paperwork?" Elena frowned, confused.

"I don't even do my own Laney." Reno chuckled and leaned back in his chair. "Maybe it was the file-stealing-fairies."

"Very funny." Elena rolled her eyes, deciding to believe him for the time being, "If you guys don't have it who does?"

"Ask Tseng." Reno shrugged.

"Tseng wouldn't take my paperwork Reno." Elena laughed, "He gives it to us to get rid of it, not so he can take it back and finish it later."

"Ask anyways." Reno sang happily as he spun in his chair.

Elena huffed, "Fine." She stood up and knocked over her coffee. "Dammit!" She swore as her clean desk was stained with the creamy brown drink. She spent a few minutes dabbing up the scalding liquid and swore when it burnt her fingers. She threw the cup away and stuck her burnt fingers into her mouth, still swearing.

"You've got quite the sailor-mouth there eh Laney?" Reno grinned at her.

"Shut the hell up Reno." Elena growled around her smarting fingers.

"Easy Tiger." Reno sniggered, "Turn that frown upside down."

"I'll turn _you_ upside down." Elena scowled and turned to leave the office.

"Didn't think you'd be so kinky this early in the morning Laney." Reno snickered at her retreating back.

"Grow up Reno." Elena huffed and stomped out of the office, slamming the door behind her.

Reno cocked his head to one side, "What da you think Rude? PMS or normal bad-day bitchiness?"

Rude sighed, "Not your business."

"Is too." Reno sniggered, "I need to know whether I should hide or try to make everything all better."

"You think you can make everything 'all better'?" Rude raised an eyebrow.

"Course I can!" Reno sat up with a wide grin, "I'm Reno! It's what I'm best at!"

"I think you should start your make-Elena's-day-better mission with returning her paperwork." Rude turned his attention back to his own paperwork.

"I didn't take it." Reno frowned. "Maybe she did it and forgot?"

"Usually has more in the morning even if she does catch up." Rude licked his thumb and flipped a page in his file.

"Hmmmm..." Reno toyed with his lower lip, "Who would take it?"

"Don't know, don't care." Rude looked up and pulled his sunglasses down his nose, eyeing Reno forcefully, "Neither should you."

"Too late Rudy, already caring." Reno sniggered and stood on his desk. "I'm gonna go play secret agent, see ya later!" Reno took the cover off the vent over his desk and hoisted himself into it.

"Don't get stuck in there." Rude looked back at his paperwork with a smile, "Remember not to go over Palmers office."

Reno shuddered, "Thanks for the reminder big guy."

Elena stalked down the hall, a glare marring her usually cheerful features. She entered Tseng's office, hands on hips. "Do you know what happened to my paperwork?"

Tseng looked up, pen poised over paper, "What happened to it?"

"It's gone." Elena sighed with a frown.

"Reno?" Tseng went back to writing his name for the thousandth time that morning.

"Hasn't got a clue what happened to it." Elena shook her head.

"Rude?" Tseng grabbed another file and started signing his name, not even bothering to read it. It wasn't his duty to read, it was his duty to lead. If he read half of the files that made it into his office he would have a mental breakdown from the severity of moral breaches he perpetuated.

"He doesn't have it either." Elena crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"I don't know where it went then." Tseng pushed the signed file to the side and grabbed another.

"Any ideas where I should look?" Elena asked hopefully. Tseng always knew what to do and she had been convinced he would know where her work was.

"I'm guessing you checked your desk already?" Tseng smiled wanly.

"I'm not _that_ hopeless Tseng." Elena rolled her eyes.

"I suppose not." Tseng gave a small chuckle, "Check with my secretary. She went in there earlier but I thought she was planning on messing with Reno. I gave her permission to do so."

"Evil of you." Elena smiled in spite of herself.

"Very. She can be quite vindictive I'm told." Tseng looked up at her with an evil grin.

"Why did you hire her then?" Elena asked, confused at Tseng's choice. Usually he chose the quietest and most reserved secretary that walked into his office to apply for the regularly vacated position.

"Change of pace." Tseng shrugged, "Besides," He winked at her, "If she can successfully sabotage Reno she's got potential."

"Reno seemed fine when I saw him." Elena smirked. "Maybe she failed?"

"Maybe she messed with the wrong desk." Tseng shrugged. "I have been wondering if she can read lately. She's dumb as a post."

"Aren't they all?" Elena grinned.

"Usually." Tseng turned his attention back to his work and Elena took this as her cue to leave.

Elena strode purposefully to Tseng's secretary's office, she didn't know her name and she was fairly sure Tseng didn't either, another reason why she pitied any woman who Tseng hired as his secretary. The woman smiled at her cheerily, "Can I help you?"

"I'm missing some of my paperwork and Tseng said you might've picked it up by accident when you were trying to mess with Reno." Elena stated as sweetly as she could.

The secretary frowned, "Are you saying I stole it?"

"No of course not!" Elena shook her head furiously, "I was just wondering if you picked it up when you went in there."

The secretary stood up, obviously incensed, "Are you saying that I would not only steal, but also try to hurt a fellow employee?"

Elena backed up, confused at the secretary's strange behavior, "Can you just tell me whether or not you took it?"

The secretary was livid, "You little bitch! You think I'm a thief, a saboteur, and a liar!" She raised her hand as if to slap Elena.

Elena opened her mouth to retort and was interrupted by a rustling overhead that caused them both to look up. Elena jumped back and threw her arms in front of her face as a section of the ceiling fell onto the desk. Elena lowered her arms to survey the disaster in front of her as the dust settled. Reno was laying on top of a pile of rubble in front of the secretary, a comical look of shock on his face. The secretary was covered from head to foot in dust, blonde hair littered with small chunks of debris, her arm still raised.

Reno sat up, brushing dust from his jacket, "Hey Laney!"

"Reno?" Elena's jaw dropped. "Wha-what're- what're you..." She wasn't able to finish her sentence and stood dumbfounded.

Reno got off the desk, "I was playing secret agent." He beamed.

"YOU BROKE MY OFFICE!" The secretary screamed.

"Oh hush you're fine. You were gonna be fired in a week anyways." Reno waved her off.

"YOU STUPID ASSHOLE!" The secretary grabbed a chunk of the ceiling from her desk and threw it at Reno.

Reno ducked and pulled Elena down with him, "Come on Laney another of Tseng's secretaries has flipped her lid." Reno dragged Elena out of the office and shut the door behind them as the secretary began throwing any object within her reach.

Elena stopped gaping like a fish, "What were you _doing_!?"

"I already told you Laney I was playing secret agent!" Reno grabbed her arm and dragged her down the hall.

"_Why?_" Elena let Reno guide her steps, still too shocked to comprehend what was going on.

"I was trying to solve the mystery of the missing paperwork." Reno shrugged and pushed open the door to Tseng's office.

Tseng didn't look up, "I'm guessing the perpetrator of that loud crash has arrived?"

"I love how you don't even have to look up anymore." Reno set Elena in one of the chairs across from Tseng's desk and then plopped himself down in another.

"Turning yourself in this time?" Tseng pushed a completed file out of his way.

"You were gonna call me in here anyways. Besides, your secretary will never look for me here." Reno propped his feet up on Tseng's desk.

"True. She'll either go on a rampage trying to find you or she'll come in here to tell me what you did." Tseng shoved Reno's feet off the desk. "Any reason you brought Elena?"

"Your secretary was gonna hit her." Reno frowned and placed his feet on the floor.

"Really? Why?" Tseng looked up, interested and confused.

"Asked if she had her paperwork, she does by the way, and your secretary got all pissy and was just about to slap her when the ceiling '_fell_' down." Reno grinned and laced his hands behind his head.

"Really? Where do you come in in all this? I assume it has something to do with the ceiling '_falling_'." Tseng smirked in spite of himself.

"I was playing secret agent in the vents." Reno explained for what felt like the millionth time. In his opinion they should be _used_ to this by now!

"Why am I not surprised?" Tseng shook his head with an amused sigh. The door slammed open. Tseng looked up, "Ah, Alison, how can I help you?"

His secretary scowled and crossed the room, "He broke my office!"

"_He_?" Reno sat up, indignant, "I have a _name_ you know."

She pointed an accusatory finger at him, "_He_ smashed through _my_ ceiling!"

"_You_ were gonna slap _my_ Laney." Reno scowled back at the secretary.

"You _broke_ my _office_!" The secretary stomped and threw her hands down in frustration.

"You _stole _from my _Laney_." Reno stomped and pounded his hands on the arm rests of his chair.

"He's _mocking _me!" The secretary fumed loudly, almost screaming with frustration and rage.

"She's _ugly_!" Reno smiled and shouted even louder than the secretary, a whiny twang to his voice.

"Shut up both of you." Tseng rubbed his forehead, "Alison, you stole files from one of my Turks. I gave you permission to do something immature to _Reno,_ not Elena. You also took an aggressive stance against them both, something I cannot overlook. I do not tolerate ill-natured violence between employees. Good-natured pranking I can ignore, I have to with _you_ in my employ," Tseng glared pointedly at Reno, "but you cannot take it upon yourself to injure one of my Turks. You will turn in your resignation papers for me to sign in the morning."

The secretary gaped at him, "But-but he-but-!"

"I don't care what he did. We're talking about you, not him. He will be dealt with accordingly. From what I've heard, you are the one in the wrong." Tseng frowned at his now-former secretary.

The blonde stood in the middle of Tseng's office, hands balled into fists at her sides, "You said I couldn't quit."

"You're not quitting." Tseng smiled kindly at her, "You're being fired." The secretary's lower lip trembled and she ran from the office, crying. Tseng sighed and pulled another file towards him, "How many of my secretaries are going to end up like this Reno?"

Reno shrugged, "I don't know why you got rid of the last one, I liked her."

"I didn't get _rid_ of the last one she had a nervous breakdown and is now in the psych ward. If you liked her why did you torment her?" Tseng frowned and signed his name for what felt like the hundred thousandth time that morning.

"Tradition?" Reno gave an exaggerated shrug.

Tseng sighed, "I'll have to get a new one."

"Hire one that's _not _a total vindictive nut-case." Elena pointed a finger at Tseng in warning, "She can be a nut-case when this one," She gestured at Reno with a jerk of her thumb, "drives her to insanity but she needs to be sane when she gets here."

Tseng chuckled, "Understood. Go find your paperwork under all that rubble." They stood to leave, "Reno?"

"Yeah boss-man?" Reno asked cheerfully.

"Stay out of the vents." Tseng waved them out of his office.

* * *

**Author's Note: Reno playing in the vents :) He seems to do that in all my stories for some reason.......I'll figure out why eventually but for now I'll just go with it 'cause it's funny ^^ R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4

Reno shut the door behind them, "So Laney, what do you think of my awesome secret agent skills?"

"They're lacking." Elena snorted quietly, "Why the vents?"

Reno shrugged and led the way back to Tseng's ex-secretary's office. "I've learned that they're the best place to hide."

"Why did the ceiling fall in?" Elena asked, curious as to why a perfectly good ceiling in a well kept office would cave in.

"I spend to much time crawling through that particular section of vent," Reno sniggered, "I like to hear what Tseng has to say about us when we're not around and the last secretary had a nice rack."

"You're hopeless." Elena shook her head and started digging through the rubbled coating the once tidy desk.

"I know where its at." Reno leaned against the desk beside Elena, "If you don't want to waste precious time searching through crap."

"How do you know where it is?" Elena put her hands on her hips.

Reno shrugged and examined his nails nonchalantly, "I figured the secretary was the most likely culprit so I watched her."

"Why did you think that?" Elena frowned at him.

"Saw her come out of our office earlier. Thought she was picking stuff up for Tseng." Reno shrugged.

"Why didn't you say anything earlier then?" Elena huffed angrily.

"Didn't know for sure." Reno shrugged, "Besides, I wanted to play secret agent."

"So where did she hide them." Elena sat on the edge of the desk and folded her arms in front of her chest.

"Don't you want to know why she took them first?" Reno smirked and sat back on the desk, placing one foot on the rubble strewn surface.

"Fine, I'll bite. Why did she take my papers?" Elena smiled in spite of herself.

"When I came in she was all angry and ranting about yours truly." Reno jabbed himself in the chest with his thumb. "_This'll teach that blonde bimbo to keep her boyfriend in check!_" Reno grinned and wiggled his eyebrows, "She seems to think we're dating. Any idea why she'd think that?"

"Nope." Elena giggled as Reno's face fell, "Pretty pitiful way to get back at you though. I'm pretty sure you don't give a damn what happens to my paperwork."

Reno gasped in indignation and clutched his chest, "You wound me Elena! Why did I crawl through the vents if I don't care?"

Elena giggled harder, "You were playing spy!"

Reno huffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I was playing secret agent for your information."

Elena giggled, "You're so cute when you pout." She blushed and slapped her hand over her mouth.

"So you think I'm cute eh?" Reno wiggled his eyebrows and leaned towards her, "I can work with cute."

Elena blushed harder and backed away, "Just tell me where my damn paperwork is!" She growled.

Reno grinned, "Why should I?"

Elena frowned, "Just a minute ago you were all for helping me!"

Reno sniggered, "Then I found out you think I'm cute."

Elena groaned, "Please just tell me where my paperwork is! We need to get back to work."

Reno slipped off the desk and stood in front of Elena, a hungry look in his eyes, "How about some incentive to work?"

"What are you talking about?" Elena blushed and tried to back away, only pushing herself into the desk.

Reno leaned on the desk, trapping her with his arms, "_Incentive_ Laney."

Elena blushed harder and gripped the edge of the desk so hard her knuckles turned white, "Incentive?"

Reno grinned and leaned forward, "Incentive." He reached behind her and dug through the top drawer of the desk, eyes locked on hers all the while.

Elena cleared her throat, "What kind of incentive?"

Reno leaned forward and pecked her on the cheek before shoving her files into her arms, "That'll do!" He backed away with a cheery grin and ran from the ruined office.

Elena stood in shock, files held loosely in her arms. She shook her head, rubbing her cheek where Reno had kissed her, mumbling under her breath. "Stupid head games..."

Reno skipped into the office, a smug grin plastered across his face. "Howdy Rude!"

"Done playing in the vents already?" Rude asked, an amused tone in his voice.

"For now." Reno sniggered and sat behind his desk.

"Mission accomplished?" Rude looked up from his files.

"I believe so." Reno laced his hands behind his head, "She seemed pretty damned happy."

"What did you do?" Rude was afraid to ask, but he knew he had too. He knew that the large crash he heard earlier and the secretary that had ran past the office crying were probably results of Reno's 'mission'.

"Nothing." Reno sniggered. Elena walked into the office and sat at her desk, oddly silent. "Hey Laney!"

Elena blushed, "Hey."

Rude raised an eyebrow at Reno. "Where was the paperwork?"

"Tseng's secretary had it." Elena mumbled as she opened her files.

"Why?" Rude continued to glare at the smiling Reno.

Elena didn't answer so Reno answered for her, "She thinks we're dating and wanted to teach Elena a lesson about 'keeping me in line'."

Rude snorted, "No one can keep you in line."

Reno shrugged, "Nobody seems to understand that."

Rude turned his attention back to his work and decided to ignore Elena's odd behavior for now.

* * *

**Author's Note: I know, it's short. Please forgive me! (^^#) I'll have more soon don't worry!**


	5. Chapter 5

"Have you even looked at the assignment yet?" Tseng's eyes narrowed as he scanned Reno's desk.

"Course I have!" Reno snorted, "What makes you think I haven't?"

"You never picked up the tux to get it tailored." Tseng frowned as Reno propped his feet on the desk.

"Elena hasn't gotten her dress either!" Reno accused.

"I got my dress taken care of a week ago." Elena didn't even look up from her paperwork as she answered.

"Liar!" Reno stuck his tongue out at her.

"Whatever you say Reno." Elena sighed wearily.

Reno frowned and leaned back at his desk, "I'll do it after work."

"You'll do it now." Tseng ordered impatiently.

"Now?" Reno sat up, pretending concern, "But I have so much work to do!" He gestured dramatically to the piles of aged yellowed paper littering his desk.

"Do the work later. We both know it's been sitting here for months anyways." Tseng huffed, "I'm sending Elena with you. There will be no _adjustments_ to your suit this time."

"_What?!"_ Elena's pen jerked across the paper roughly, tearing through the file and scratching across her desk. She cursed and started taping the paper back together.

"You're going with him." Tseng turned to face her, "I know you don't want to but you need to get out of the office. You've gotten to the point where even _I_ think you're working too hard."

"I am not!" Elena pouted, angrily stuffing her tape covered file into her desk.

"You've turned in five copies of that file." Tseng pointed out with a smirk.

Elena pulled the file out of her desk and looked at it, "I have not!"

Reno laughed happily, "Poor Laney! So lost in her forest of paperwork she didn't know she was going in circles!"

Elena frowned, "At least I can see through my _forest_. When was the last time you saw your desk under that mess?"

Reno frowned at the cluttered surface and then swept one foot across the top, knocking the teetering piles of paper to the floor, "Just now."

Tseng frowned, "When you get back you're picking that up and filing it properly."

"Can't I do it now?" Reno whined pathetically.

"Elena," Tseng sighed, "drag him in, make him try it on, and then drag him back. No style adjustments of any kind."

"Understood." Elena nodded and dragged a grumbling Reno out of the office.

Rude waited until the two were down the hall to speak, "He's going to give her hell about the suit you picked."

"You've seen it?" Tseng raised an eyebrow.

Rude nodded, "I checked on all our outfits for that night a week ago. His is far to frumpy to make him happy."

Tseng snorted, "His happiness is the least of my worries right now. It's her sanity that I'm concerned for."

* * *

Reno grumbled moodily and played with his hair, "Why can't I pick my own outfit?"

Elena adjusted her mirrors as she prepared to pull her car out of the lot, "Tseng already explained this. We need to blend in. Everything _you_ pick out makes you stick out like a sore thumb."

"I stick out just enough to go unnoticed." Reno countered, reaching over and tugging playfully on Elena's hair.

"Whatever." Elena snorted as she brushed his hand away, "Just follow orders this time okay? I don't need any trouble from you."

Reno raised an eyebrow and gave her a simpering smile, "Why would I give you trouble Laney-poo?"

Elena groaned, "When you smile like that I just _know_ you're going to be a handful."

"I'd like to think I'm more than just a handful." Reno winked at her lewdly, innuendo dripping from his voice.

"And I'd like to think I'm a brunette. Too bad we're both just lying to ourselves." Elena giggled as Reno's face fell.

"Mean." Reno's lower lip stuck out like a white flag of surrender and he faced the window, idly twirling his hair around his finger.

* * *

"Reno how long does it take to get dressed?" Elena sighed and leaned against the door of his changing room.

"Forever." Reno frowned as he tried to button his shirt. "What the hell is wrong with these goddamned buttons!?"

"Do you need help sir?" The small greasy tailor waited impatiently outside the door with a tape measure and pins in his hands.

"Not from you." Reno spat, still fumbling with his buttons.

"Suit yourself." The tailor shrugged and turned to Elena. "Let me know when he manages to dress himself."

"Yes sir." Elena nodded at the man and waited till he was out of earshot to hiss at Reno, "_Why are you being so rude?_" She heard him grumble something about buttons and mad space men before the door swung open.

Reno stood in front of her, a slightly rumpled dress shirt haphazardly buttoned only barely concealing his chest, "Help me button this stupid thing!"

Elena blushed heavily before tentatively reaching forward to help him properly button his shirt. "Why can't you do it?"

"My fingers are too big." Reno frowned, watching Elena button his shirt with few difficulties.

Elena flinched as her hands brushed across Reno's chest and her blush deepened. "What else do you need help getting on?"

Reno gave her a sly grin and wiggled his eyebrows, "Ya know I can't work out how my pants are supposed to go on."

"They're already on Reno." Elena raised an eyebrow.

"We could fix that." Reno wiggled his hips suggestively.

Elena punched him in the chest lightly, "Behave yourself!"

Reno pouted, "You're no fun." He reinstated his cheerful smile and grabbed his vest off the hangar, holding it at arms length as if it might bite, "Do I have to wear all of this stuff? This suit has more pieces than a jigsaw puzzle."

Elena giggled, more comfortable now that Reno's chest was covered. "You have to make sure it all fits."

Reno chewed his lower lip, "Any chance we could just tell the frumpy git with the pins that it all fits without me trying it on?"

Elena rolled her eyes and grabbed the vest, forcing Reno to put it on, "That would be stupid Reno. I don't see why you don't want to wear this."

Reno humphed, "I feel like an overdressed idiot."

Elena smoothed the vest over his chest with a blush, "You'll feel underdressed if you can't wear all of it on the mission. Think of it this way, you have more places to hide matches."

Reno's face brightened noticeably, "Matches are fun!" He grabbed the suit jacket off the hangar and put it on happily, his thoughts already turned towards the fun he could have with matches, "What's your dress look like?"

"Not telling." Elena smirked and gave him a sly wink, her blush deepening, "It's gonna be a surprise."

"Not even a hint? Can't you tell me what color it is or something? How short is the skirt? Gonna show any boobage?" Reno asked pleadingly as he successfully knotted his tie.

"I didn't know you could tie a tie Reno." Elena commented with an innocent smile, blatantly ignoring the question.

"Come on Laney tell me what it looks like!" Reno pouted heavily and leaned in close to her face, "I'm pouting Laney, I thought you liked it when I pout?"

Elena blushed and backed away, "I'm gonna get the tailor."

Reno watched her walk away with a frown and started lacing his shoes, trying to imagine just what Tseng picked out for his small blonde teammate.

Elena found the tailor and brought him back, "I'm sorry for the wait, he had difficulties getting everything on."

"It's fine it's fine." The tailor started to adjust Reno's suit. "This is buttoned wrong."

Reno sniggered and Elena began to apologize again, "I'm sorry sir."

"It's fine woman stop hovering dammit!" The tailor waved Elena away from him and started to pin up Reno's pant leg.

"Excuse me half-pint?" Reno growled, shaking his leg to get the mans attention. "That's a Turk you're talking to, not only that she's a lady. Mind your manners."

Elena blinked and the tailor quailed under Reno's scornful gaze, "Sorry sir."

"Yeah yeah pip-squeak just hurry up and get this damn suit fitted, I wanna go home." Reno gave the man a look that made Rufus Shinra's glare look like a loving gaze.

"We have to go back to work after this Reno." Elena said timidly, in shock at Reno's sudden rise to her defense.

Reno groaned, suddenly acting like a child again, "I don't wanna!"

Elena giggled at his mood swing, "You have to."

"Yo can't we play hooky?" Reno begged as the tailor bounced around his legs.

"Tseng would have our heads on a platter if we did that." Elena turned her head and blushed as she caught herself admiring how well Reno's suit fit.

"I bet I could sweet talk him into letting us off easy yo." Reno grinned, his eyes taking on the glazed expression of someone lost in pleasant memories as he plotted.

"We're going back to work Reno." Elena said sternly, trying to rouse Reno from his daydream of a day off. "We only have a week left to prepare."

"Prepare for what Laney? Our honeymoon?" Reno sniggered and then yelped as the tailor nicked his wrist with a pin, "Watch where your stickin' those alright?"

"S-s-s-sorry sir." The tailors stuttered, his voice shaking with repressed fear.

"You know _what_ Reno." Elena rolled her eyes. "Besides you can't have a honeymoon without a wedding and I don't see a ring on my finger."

"Yo are you saying if I give you a ring you'll go on a honeymoon with me?" Reno's pin induced frown turned into a mischievous grin.

"Whatever Reno." Elena rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall, pointedly looking away from Reno as the tailor worked to fit his suit tighter.

"Trying to crush me with clothes?" Reno squirmed in discomfort as the vest tightened to an uncomfortable level.

"Sorry sir. I am merely trying to get it to fit." The tailor mumbled through a mouthful of pins.

"It fits _too_ well if you catch my drift yo." Reno snapped, pulling at the collar of the vest to try and loosen it.

The tailor quickly adjusted the suit and then stepped back, "What do you think?"

"I dunno..." Reno trailed off, looking at himself in a floor length mirror critically. "What do you think Laney?"

Elena looked over reluctantly, blushing heavily as she stared, "It-uh-its-" She turned her head and cleared her throat, "It fits."

Reno frowned, he had expected more stammering due to the ever darkening red the had crept into her cheeks the moment he had asked for her help getting dressed, "Nothing else to say yo?" Elena shook her head and he sighed, "Well, fishing for compliments in the Elena pond is a waste of time. How about you tailor man? Whatcha think?" Reno turned, watching Elena in another mirror as he did, a smug grin spreading across his face when he saw her look back at him. "How's the view from behind Laney?"

Elena blushed darker and looked away again, "Fine."

"Yo you mean _damn_ fine." Reno chuckled, ignoring the tailors attempts to flatter him by admiring the suit.

"Sure, whatever, _damn fine_." She sneered, "Can we go now?" Elena stood up and left the dressing room, suddenly interested in the racks of suits that spanned the shop.

"She digs me." Reno sniggered and waved the tailor out of the room. He let his fingers slip on the buttons for almost five minutes before he swore, "How the hell does this thing come off!?"

Elena sighed and turned back to the dressing room, convinced that if any more blood flowed into her face there wouldn't be any left for her brain.

* * *

**Author's Note: Reno in a three-piece suit and tie, anyone else drooling?**


	6. Chapter 6

"How do you dress yourself in the morning Reno? You can't even put on a suit!" Elena growled as she started to undo the buttons lining the front of Reno's jacket.

"I dress myself just fine!" Reno pouted, "The buttons on my shirt aren't this messed up, even you couldn't get this on me!" He wiggled his eyebrows, "However, you're getting it off me quite nicely."

Elena sighed, "You're just trying to make life difficult."

"There's no trying Laney, it just happens." Reno sniggered and slipped his jacket off.

Elena started undoing the buttons on his vest, "How do you plan on getting this on the night of the mission?"

"Ask you for help." Reno shrugged.

Elena frowned, "I can't help you that night, I'll be getting myself ready."

"Why can't you help me too?" Reno slipped his vest off and set it on the ground next to his jacket.

"Because I can't okay?" Elena blushed as she started to undo Reno's shirt, exposing his chest.

"I'll ask Rude or Tseng then. Someone's gotta have small enough fingers to do it." Reno grinned as Elena started to fumble buttons. "Yo you enjoying strippin' me Laney?"

"Shut up Reno." Elena blushed harder and continued unbuttoning his shirt, forcing her eyes to look only at the buttons. Looking at the smooth white skin she was exposing would only make her nervous and she'd end up saying something she'd regret that he would hold over her head for as long as he could. She was still kicking herself for telling him that he was cute when he pouted. He seemed to pout every chance he got since then.

Reno grinned evilly, "_Make_ me."

Elena frowned at him, undid his tie and shoved it in his mouth, "That what you had in mind?"

Reno pulled the tie out of his mouth and pouted, "That didn't taste as good as what _I_ had in mind."

Elena blushed and finished unbuttoning his shirt. "You can get undressed from here without my help."

"You wanna watch?" Reno sniggered and took off his shirt.

"No thanks." Elena turned and left the dressing room.

Reno frowned, "You're no fun!"

Elena rolled her eyes and resumed her uninterested perusal of the shops other suits, blushing as she imagined Reno in every one of them. Her search through the suits was cut short after that.

Reno finished dressing himself and tossed the suit at the tailor, "How fast can you trim it up?"

"I can make the adjustments in about two hours sir." The tailor stammered, fumbling with the suit as he tried to arrange it neatly on the hanger.

"Good, see ya in two hours then." Reno grabbed Elena by the elbow and dragged her out of the shop, ignoring the bumbling tailors protests at the deadline.

"What do you mean 'see you in two hours'?" Elena huffed, pulling her elbow from Reno's grasp as he dragged her to her car.

"I mean we're going to go pick my suit up in two hours! Jeez Laney I though you were s'posed to be smart?" Reno sniggered as he opened the drivers side door and held out his hand expectantly, "Keys."

"What do you mean _supposed_ to be smart?" Elena placed her hands on her hips.

"Cry a river build and bridge and get over it. Give me the keys while you're at it Laney." Reno sniggered and clicked his fingers expectantly.

"You think I'm going to let you drive my car? What the hell gave you that idea!" Elena tried to get in the car but Reno blocked the door.

"Ya know, I _can_ get them myself." Reno smirked at her.

"You're not driving and that's final." Elena glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh really?" Reno grabbed her chin and kissed her, his other hand reaching inside her jacket and pulling out her keys. He pulled back, "I could get used to that." He sat in the drivers seat and started the car.

Elena stood open mouthed beside the car, "You-you just-you!" She stammered as she touched her lips timidly with her hand, her face turning a vibrant shade of red.

"You gettin' in the car or what?" Reno revved the engine, "I'm not in the mood to leave you but I will if you're just gonna sit and stare at me." Elena flushed and stomped to the passenger side of the car, jerking the door open and practically throwing herself inside. She glowered out the window as Reno pulled the car into traffic with a chuckle. "Don't act like you didn't like it Laney."

"Shut up and drive asshole." Elena snapped, still glaring out the window.

Reno frowned, "No need to call me a asshole Laney."

"There is _every_ need to call you an asshole Reno! Why the hell would you do that?" Elena screamed, throwing her hands into the air.

Reno shrugged, "You look tasty when you're angry."

Elena blushed and looked out the window again, "It was uncalled for. I mean really Reno, what the hell did you expect me to do?"

"I sure as hell didn't expect you to get all offended about it." Reno stared out the windshield, "Am I that bad a kisser?"

"No it's not that you just-" Elena cut herself off as Reno began laughing, "Stupid ginger!"

Reno laughed harder, "You did like it!"

Elena growled, "Unless you want your balls ripped off I suggest you shut the hell up."

Reno stopped laughing immediately and cleared his throat, "So where you wanna go for lunch? Pick anywhere, it's my treat to make up for the whole kissy-stealy thing back there."

Elena raised an eyebrow at him, "Kissy-stealy? You have a name for that move?"

Reno grinned, "It's the same move I used when I wanted Tseng to give me Trevor."

"Trevor?" Elena looked at Reno like he was crazy and immediate doubts about his sexuality flew into her mind.

"My iguana! You remember Trevor the iguana don't you?" Reno gaped at her, "I brought him to the office after I got him last year and Tseng took him away because he bit a secretary. Tseng was gonna shoot him because Trevor bit him so I kissed Tseng, stole Trevor, and voila! The kissy-stealy was born!"

Elena facepalmed, "You're lying to me aren't you?"

"Hell no!" Reno laughed, "Why the hell would I lie about that!? That's a good story yo!"

Elena peered at him from between her fingers, "Tseng didn't kill you for that?"

"Too shocked to say anything. Got me the rest of the day off and saved the life of Trevor the Iguana!" Reno reached over and pulled Elena's hand off of her face, his other hand keeping the car on course, "Don't do that Laney its not lady-like to look at me like I'm an idiot."

"You _are_ an idiot." Elena rolled her eyes and glared out the window.

"Yo you jealous that I got to kiss Tseng or somethin'?" Reno raised an eyebrow at her.

"No!" Elena denied enthusiastically, blushing slightly, "I don't give a damn _who_ Tseng kisses!"

"Do you give a damn who I kiss?" Reno wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Not really." Elena laughed as Reno's face fell. She looked back out the window, "Wanna eat there?"

Reno swerved the car towards the restaurant Elena wanted, cutting off several cars in the process, "Sounds good to me yo! Chocobo Charlie's it is!"

Elena gripped the door of the car for dear life as Reno jerked the car into the restaurant parking lot. "Don't _ever_ do that again!"

Reno parked the car, "Yo relax Laney your car's just fine!" He turned the car off and pocketed the keys.

"Why did I agree to let you drive again?" Elena asked as they stepped out of the car.

"You didn't remember? I stole the keys from you?" Reno jingled the keys in her face.

Elena tried to snatch them from him but he held them out of her reach, "Unless you wanna attempt a kissy-stealy Laney you're not gettin' these back." Elena blushed and glared at him, before stalking moodily into the restaurant. Reno muttered to himself and pocketed the keys, "Damn, I really wanted you to try a kissy-stealy."

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry this took so long! Been working on ****Cat and Mouse**** and ****Live Until Tomorrow**** so much that I almost forgot this story existed! Please R&R! It speeds the writing process and keeps me updating. **


	7. Chapter 7

Elena scowled at the menu, trying to find _something_ that wasn't dripping grease or gravy. There didn't seem to be even one healthy thing on the menu. Reno smirked at her over his menu, "You ever eaten here before Laney?"

"No." Elena frowned, "Is there _anything _healthy here?"

Reno looked his menu over quizzically, "I think there's a salad on here somewhere..."

Elena looked up hopefully, "Where?"

Reno chuckled, "Never mind, I must've imagined it."

Elena frowned, "Damn. I was kinda hoping there was a salad on here."

"What's up with the health food Laney? If ya wanted somethin' nutritious you shoulda told me I woulda taken ya somewhere else." Reno sniggered, folding up his menu as a sultry waitress sauntered up to their table.

"What can I get ya hun?" She asked Reno, eyes fixated on his face.

"I'll have a chocoburger with cheese n'bacon and anythin' else you can think of throwin' on there." Reno grinned at the waitress, "I don't really give a damn what I get to drink but no beer today, gotta get back ta work sober."

The waitress scribbled his somewhat cryptic order down and then reluctantly turned her attention towards Elena, "And for you?"

Elena frowned at the menu, "Just give me what he's having. I really don't know what to order."

The waitress nodded and Reno sniggered, "Did you even hear what I ordered Laney?"

"Haven't got a clue what you ordered." Elena giggled, folding up her menu and passing it to the somewhat impatient waitress.

"Yet ya still wanna eat it?" Reno raised an eyebrow at her as the waitress walked away.

Elena shrugged, " Doesn't really matter to me. I couldn't think of anything to order and I didn't want to keep her waiting on me."

"Elena what part of _waitress_ don't you understand? She gets _paid_ to _wait_ on you." Reno snickered, beginning to play with the chocobo shaped salt and pepper shakers on the table.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked, watching him move the shakers around with a puzzled expression.

"Having 'em race duh." Reno rolled his eyes, pushing the shakers around making tiny wark noises.

"Who's winning?" Elena cocked her head to one side, watching Reno make wark noises with an amused smile.

"It's pretty darned close." Reno gave her a wide grin and began to narrate his 'race'. "Pepper and salt are neck and neck! Pepper looks like he's going to take the lead! But what's this? Salt is coming up from behind!" Reno sniggered and pushed the shakers towards Elena, "But where's the finish line? Laney where's the race s'posed to end?"

Elena giggled behind her hand, "You made the race, shouldn't you know?"

Reno pouted at her and held the chocobo shakers up in her face, "But if I knew where it ended one of these little guys would have an unfair advantage!"

Elena laughed, pulling the pepper shaker from Reno's hand, "Fine, pick a spot for the race to end and then I'll take away the advantage by being the other chocobo. Sound fair?"

Reno grinned, "What're you gonna name your chocobo?"

"Uh," Elena raised an eyebrow at the shaker, "Pepper?"

Reno rolled his eyes, "So boring!" He held his shaker up proudly, "Mine's named Alewishious!"

"Ala-what?" Elena laughed, ogling Reno like his brains had just flown out of his ears.

"You heard me yo! Alewishious!" Reno sniggered and grabbed a bottle of ketchup sitting in the middle of their table, squirting a small line of it onto the table, "Okay, this is the starting line." He grabbed the bottle of mustard and squirted out another line on the opposite side of the table, "And this is the finish line!"

"Reno don't get the table messy!" Elena scolded, reaching for a napkin to mop up the mess.

Reno grabbed her wrist, "Are you trying to say you forfeit?"

"What?" Elena blushed a little, feeling her pulse jump under Reno's hand.

"You wipe up the lines and you forfeit the race." Reno stated matter-of-factly, his eyes serious.

Elena frowned, dropping the napkin that was in her hand, "Fine. I'll clean this up _after_ the race. Happy?"

Reno grinned, releasing Elena's wrist. "Yup!" He placed his chocobo salt shaker near the red line of ketchup. "On your marks Laney!"

Elena sighed and set her shaker next to Reno's. "Ready?"

"Set go!" Reno practically shouted, skipping his shaker across the table with a loud 'wark'.

Elena skipped her shaker after his with a much quieter and very embarrassed, "Wark."

Reno sighed and grabbed the hand she was using to hop her shaker after his, "Elena are you serious about this or not?"

"What?" Elena raised an eyebrow, her face coloring once again as Reno stared her down.

"That was the most unenthusiastic 'wark' I have _ever_ heard." Reno frowned. "Makes me wonder if your chocobo is really in it to win it."

Elena laughed nervously, "And if he isn't?"

"Then you shouldn't be playing!" Reno scoffed, gripping her wrist tightly. "Either you give me a convincing 'wark' or your chocobo doesn't get to finish the race."

Elena chewed her lower lip, tugging on her wrist gently to try and free it as Reno stared her down. He gripped her wrist tighter with every gentle tug. She sighed and huffed irritably, "_Fine_." She took a deep breath and yelled, "WARK!" Blushing as everyone in the restaurant turned to stare at her at once.

Reno grinned happily, "See? How hard was that?"

Elena tugged her wrist out of his grip and set her shaker firmly down on the mustard finish line, smearing it and blushing fiercely, "I win."

Reno pouted, "You distracted me _and_ you cheated! Chocobos can't run that fast!"

"_Pepper_ can." Elena stuck her tongue out at him childishly, her face still a deep red.

"Stick that out at me again and I might get ideas." Reno wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, grinning as her face turned a deeper shade of crimson and she quickly pulled her tongue into her mouth.

Elena grabbed the napkin Reno had forced her to abandon and began mopping up the condiment mess he made on the table, "You _always _have ideas Reno."

"Want me to act on those ideas?" Reno asked, leaning towards her with a cocky grin.

Elena gulped nervously and was saved from answering as the waitress sat their food in front of them. "Anythin' else ya need hun?" She asked Reno, her back towards Elena.

"Nope." Reno waved the waitress away with a smile.

"You sure babe?" The waitress asked, cocking her hip to one side seductively.

"I'm sure." Reno huffed, smirking at the waitress.

"You give me a call if you need anything." The waitress simpered at him, throwing an evil glare at Elena over her shoulder that Elena fortunately missed as she gaped at her plate.

"Sure thing doll-face." Reno grinned at the waitress and rolled his eyes when her back was turned. He grabbed his burger and brought it to his lips, stopping when he saw Elena's open-mouthed examination of her plate of food. "Yo what's gotten into you Laney?"

Elena blushed, "She gave me the wrong plate."

"How can you tell? We ordered the same thing." Reno asked, putting his sandwich down.

"She um," Elena blushed behind her hand, "She wrote her phone number in ketchup on my sandwich."

"No way!" Reno sniggered, turning Elena's plate so that he could see. He spotted the slimy red numbers written across the top of Elena's burger and howled with laughter.

Elena looked at him and started laughing too, "I think she likes you Reno."

Reno wiped streaming eyes and squished Elena's bun into the ketchup, smearing the poorly written numbers, "I think so too Laney. Too bad I'm spoken for."

"What?" Elena raised an eyebrow at him, "What do you mean 'spoken for'? You've got a girlfriend?"

"Nope, but I'm still spoken for." Reno grinned, picking his sandwich back up and beginning to eat.

"A boyfriend then?" Elena asked warily, picking up her sandwich carefully so that it's contents didn't spill out.

Reno laughed through a mouthful of food, "Nah." He swallowed, "But I'm still spoken for."

"Who then hell is speaking for you then?" Elena asked irritably, taking a small taste of her own sandwich.

"You." Reno smirked at her and took another large bite of his sandwich.

Elena nearly choked, "_What?_"

"You heard me." Reno sniggered, chewing on his sandwich with a happy grin.

Elena swallowed carefully, confused, "How the hell do I speak for you?"

"Do I hafta spell it out for ya Laney?" Reno rolled his eyes.

"I think so." Elena stirred the fizzy drink the waitress had brought her without looking at Reno.

Reno sighed, swallowing a mouthful of food so he could answer her clearly, "I _like_ ya Laney, get it?"

Elena cleared her throat, "I figured that was what you meant, but I don't know how that makes you spoken for."

"I'm not goin' into any kinda relationship with someone while I actually like someone else." Reno snorted, wiping a small dribble of grease from his chin with his thumb and licking the digit clean.

Elena chewed her lower lip, watching Reno eat, her own food hardly touched, "You're serious?"

"Yup." Reno frowned at her plate, "Eat it before it gets cold. Chocobo is chewy cold."

Elena picked up her sandwich and took a halfhearted bite, chewing carefully before talking again, "I don't quite get it Reno."

"It's simple, meat gets all rubbery when it gets cold." Reno sniggered at his innuendo and took a large gulp of his drink.

"Not that!" Elena blushed, giggling nervously, "I don't get why you want to wait for me to go out with you."

"I figure it'll happen eventually." Reno shrugged, finishing his sandwich with relish.

"And if it doesn't?" Elena asked as nonchalantly as she could, blushing and avoiding eye contact with Reno.

"Laney you wouldn't blush so much if you didn't like me at least a little." Reno laughed, running a napkin over his face, "I'm willing to wait. I can be plenty patient when I want something."

Elena put her sandwich down, trying to ignore the slightly giddy feeling rushing through her head as the impact of Reno's words hit her, "You missed a spot."

"Get it for me?" Reno wiggled his eyebrows and handed her the napkin, leaning close enough for her to reach his face.

"Sure." Elena blushed and took the napkin, wiping it along a small grease spot on his chin, pulling her hand back sharply when she finished.

Reno grabbed her wrist before she could draw it back fully, "Wait a minute." He looked at her with a wicked grin, prying the napkin from her fingers and bringing her hand to his lips, "Seems you missed a spot too. Don't worry, I'll get it." He popped her index finger into his mouth, sucking the imaginary mess from her finger. Her eyes widened as his tongue ran along the underside of her finger and she blushed furiously. He grinned at her reaction and let her finger slide out of his mouth with a small wet pop, letting go of her wrist, "I think I got it." She pulled her hand back, clearing her throat without any intention of speaking. Reno laughed, "You gonna eat all that?" He pointed at her barely eaten sandwich and she shook her head. "I'll get ya a box, ya might change your mind."

He whistled for the waitress and she came quickly, almost running in her haste to attend his needs. "How can I help you?"

"My friend needs a box. Eyes bigger than stomach." Reno grinned, watching as Elena looked at the table, blushing hard.

The waitress smiled, "That all hun?"

"Yep. Unless you wanna split a desert Laney?" Reno grinned as Elena shook her head furiously, "We're done then."

The waitress pouted and walked away, coming back with a styrofoam box for Elena to put her leftover food in, moodily giving them the required Chocobo Charlie's farewell, "Thank you for eating at Chocobo Charlie's, we hope you enjoyed your stay and welcome you back any time."

Reno started putting Elena's food in the box, "I'm not sure if _enjoyed _is the right word for it but I know I sure as hell had fun. How about you Laney?"

Elena cleared her throat, "Sure Reno, whatever you say."

"Whatever I say goes today eh?" Reno sniggered, standing up and moving behind Elena to whisper in her ear, "Do you want to try a kissy-stealy to get the keys back?"

Elena blushed, her voice unusually high pitched, "You can drive."

Reno sniggered and led the way out of the restaurant. "Whatever you say Laney."

* * *

**Author's Note: Cute yes? Lemme know what you think! R&R!**

**The button feels lonely, be a friend, click it!**

**\/**


	8. Chapter 8

Elena glared out the window of her car as Reno steered them into traffic, "Where to next Laney?"

Elena raised an eyebrow at him, "What do you mean 'where to next'? Don't we have to pick up your suit?"

Reno sniggered, "The guy said he needed two hours Laney, it's only been about forty-five minutes. We've got some time to kill." Elena groaned and buried her head in her hands. Reno frowned, "Jeez Laney way to make me feel good about myself."

"I just wanna go back to work." Elena sighed into her hands, staring at her knees from between her fingers.

"Ya know Laney, you're such a _downer_ sometimes." Reno laughed, reaching over and ruffling Elena's hair.

Elena brushed his hand away, "I feel like I'm being so lazy and unproductive right now! I need something to do!"

"Productivity is for the boring and lifeless." Reno snorted, pulling the car into a new lane and cutting off yet another driver. "I bet you one date that you will have more fun with me today than you will _ever_ have at work."

"What kind of fun are we talking about?" Elena asked warily, frightened eyes glued to the lines of the road that flicked past far faster than the speed limit allowed.

"The kind of fun that will have you laughing no matter how much you want to be mad at me." Reno grinned and pulled the car into a parking lot, several horns blaring angrily behind him as he swerved dangerously.

"Are you driving like a madman on purpose!?" Elena yelled and clutched the arm of her chair in fright.

"If it gives you a good reason to try a kissy-stealy, then yes." Reno chuckled and parked the car neatly.

"How about I just try a stealy?" Elena mused aloud, grabbing for the keys as Reno started to open his door.

"Hey!" Reno grabbed her wrist as she yanked the keys from the ignition, "You're not laying by the rules Laney. You can't have a stealy without the kissy part. Have I ever kissed you without stealing something?"

Elena blushed and tried to pull her hand out of Reno's grasp, "No."

"Exactly." Reno pulled the keys from her fingers, "Once you decide to kiss me you can steal the keys back."

Elena pouted, still trying to rescue her wrist from Reno's tight hand, "But I want them!"

Reno shook the keys in her face tauntingly, "Then do a kissy-stealy!" He let go of her wrist and stepped out of the car, slamming the door shut behind him.

Elena scowled and got out of the car, absentmindedly rubbing her sore wrist. She could not take another car ride with Reno driving, she _had_ to get those keys back. The squealing protests her car made during the harsh treatment Reno had put it through demanded that she take them back. She walked up to Reno, mentally noting which pocket he stuffed the keys into, "Why did you take us to a mall?"

"So I can show you what fun really is." Reno sniggered happily. He looped his arm through hers and dragged her towards the entrance of the mall, skipping with glee.

Elena stumbled after him, "What the hell are you doing!?"

Reno stopped with a sigh, "I'm frickin' _skippin'_ Laney. What the hell did you think I was doing?"

"Going insane?" Elena suggested, pushing her hair out of her face with her free hand.

Reno laughed, "Close enough. You gonna skip this time or do I have to drag you?"

"We're gonna look like idiots skipping into the mall Reno." Elena frowned and set her free hand on her hip.

Reno rolled his eyes, "You gotta stop caring so much about what other people think Laney. Life is a helluva lot more fun when you don't give a damn."

Elena smiled at him, "I don't think I'm confident enough to do that Reno. We can't all be you."

Reno sniggered, "I'll give ya a few lessons then!" He reached over and untucked her shirt, ignoring her protests and halfhearted slaps as he unbuttoned a few of the buttons at the top of her shirt. He ruffled her hair and then stepped back to admire his handy work, holding her hands by her sides as she attempted to fix her clothes. He beamed, "That's a good start yo, but I think you're still a long way away from bein' me."

Elena pouted at him, "I'm not going in there like this."

Reno smiled evilly and pulled her close, "We could always just have fun in the car."

Elena blushed and relented, "Fine, but can't I fix my hair? No one in their right mind would go anywhere with their hair looking like this!"

Reno rolled his eyes, "You're supposed to be acting like me, do I ever act like I'm in my right mind? Me and my right mind had a disagreement a long time ago and I've been hanging out with the left side ever since."

Elena laughed and then gave a good-natured sigh, "Fine, but the second we leave that mall I'm fixing all this."

Reno released her arms and offered her his, "Shall we skip?"

Elena laughed and hooked her arm through his, "I believe we shall." Acting like Reno for an hour couldn't be that bad, could it?

Elena raised an eyebrow at Reno as he worked diligently, tongue between his teeth, "Are you done yet?"

"Yup!" Reno grinned at her and held the pot he had decorated up for her to examine, "Isn't it beautiful?"

Elena had thought that going to a pottery shop at the mall meant they were just going to _look_ at pottery. Reno had decided that just looking was far too boring and had decided to drag her to the children's area of the shop so they could paint their own pots. She looked at the wet pot carefully before answering, "What is it supposed to be?"

Reno gaped at her, "Laney!" He whined, pointing at the numerous yellow and red splotches on the pot, "Its obviously a chocobo eating apples!"

Elena giggled, "Really? Did the chocobo throw up or something?"

Reno pouted and set his pot on the table, "You're mean."

Elena laughed at Reno's childish behavior and had to take a few moments to collect herself while he glared at her. "It's very pretty Reno."

"Liar." Reno laughed, unable to pretend anger for long, "So what's on yours?"

Elena turned the pot so he could see it, "Flowers."

Reno grimaced, "Just flowers? Jeez Laney can't you be more creative?"

It was Elena's turn to act childish and she stuck her lower lip out at him, "They're pretty! Besides, how many red and purple flowers have you seen lately?"

Reno pursed his lips in thought, cocking his head to the side like a dog, "Three."

Elena raised an eyebrow and then counted the flowers on her pot, laughing, "Reno you're terrible! How can you say I'm not creative?"

"I didn't say you weren't creative, I just said you weren't creative enough to meet my standards." Reno sniggered and brushed more paint onto his pot.

"What're you painting now?" Elena asked, peering over the top of his pot to try and see.

"Flowers." Reno grinned, paint spattering his hands as he worked.

Elena grinned, "Red and purple ones?"

Reno frowned at her, "No!" Then he frowned at his pot and hurriedly brushed a different color onto it, "Red and purple and _green_ flowers."

Elena laughed and continued to paint her flowery pot different colors, already trying to decide where she would keep it in her apartment.

By the time their pots had dried they had managed to waste an hour and Reno begged to extend their visit, Elena giving in with little persuasion. He dragged her down the store lined halls of the mall and they spent a good amount of time simply looking in the windows. Reno spent a lot of that time pointing out oddly dressed customers and sniggering jokes to Elena at their expense, making Elena feel better about looking like a slob at Reno's request. When they had peered through the windows of most of the shops Elena decided it was high time they actually go into one and dragged Reno into a store that she shopped at often, "Come on don't whine Reno! I went to your pottery store you can come to my girly store!"

"But Laney it _smells_ funny!" Reno complained loudly, suppressing a snigger as he took in the offended faces of the stores patrons.

Elena rolled her eyes and dragged him further into the store, "Grow up Reno!"

"But I don't wanna!" Reno whined as he silently enjoyed himself beyond measure. He wasn't going to admit aloud that he really liked some of the things in this store, mostly because he imagined Elena wearing all of them. Elena laughed at him and began thumbing through the stores collection of accessories. Reno picked up a few of the items and, without her notice, started placing them near her to see how they would look against her skin or hair. He hid a silver hair-clip in his hand as she turned to look at him with a happy smile.

"What do you think of this?" Elena asked, setting a gold clip into her hair for him to judge.

Reno looked at the clip with distaste and pulled it out of her hair, which she had rearranged to be as tidy as she could manage after he had ruffled her yellow locks. He slipped the silver clip out of his hand and placed it in her hair in place of the gold one with a smile, "I think this one looks better."

Elena turned to look in the mirror and admired the hair clip with a smile, "You have good taste."

"You don't think I look this good by accident do you?" Reno sniggered and pulled at his clothes.

Elena grinned at him, pulling the clip out of her hair, "Actually that's exactly what I thought."

Reno pumped a fist in the air in triumph, "Yes! You admitted it!"

"Admitted what?" Elena asked, confusion written on her face.

"That you think I look good and that you think about me." Reno smirked, puffing his chest out smugly.

Elena laughed and set the clip back on the shelf, "Fine, whatever you want to think." She walked down the aisle to look at more accessories.

Reno grinned as she walked away and grabbed the clip, holding it surreptitiously in his hand. He rested his head on her shoulder as she held earrings up to one ear to admire them in one of the mirrors that were placed at even intervals along the shelves. "I think the green ones might look better."

Elena shivered as Reno's breath ghosted over her ear, momentarily distracting her from the earrings she was trying to look at, "My dress isn't green though."

Reno smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her back against him, "So it's blue?"

Elena blushed and set the pale blue earrings back on the shelf quickly, "I'm not telling."

Reno smirked and purred happily into her ear, "You as good as told me right there."

Elena's blush deepened and she pulled away from Reno's embrace and wandered farther down the aisle. Reno grinned and walked away from her, moving to the cash register to purchase the clip without her notice. The cashier gave him a strange look as she rang up his sale, "That won't go with your hair sweetie."

"That's what you think yo." Reno snorted, pocketing the clip with a smile.

"What are you doing Reno?" Elena asked as she poked her head around the aisle.

"Nothin' Laney. We need ta go see that tailor soon though, his two hours are definitely up." Reno grinned, casually patting the pocket with the clip in it.

Elena sighed with a wistful smile and let Reno lead her out of the store and back to the parking lot, "What did you buy?"

"Didn't buy anythin' Laney." Reno smirked, pulling her keys out of his pocket and swinging them on his finger tauntingly. "Wanna try that kissy-stealy now?"

Elena chewed her lower lip and looked between Reno's smug grin and her keys warily. "If I kiss you and steal the keys I get to keep them right? No tricks?"

Reno nodded, "I play by the rules in this game Laney." Elena smiled and pecked Reno on the cheek, grabbing the keys in one hand as she did. Reno wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him, "Oh no Laney, you don't get to steal them with a kiss like that." He pressed his lips against hers, a smile turning the corners of his mouth as she let out a surprised squeak.

Elena stiffened slightly, torn between her desire to get Reno off of her and the temptation to let the kiss continue. Her instincts kicked in and she shoved Reno away, pulling her wrist from his grasp and bolting towards the car. Reno licked his lips with a smile and followed her to the car, not deterred in the slightest by her apparent eagerness to get away from him.

**

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Author's Note: Yay? Neigh? Let me know what ya think!!! **


	9. Chapter 9

"Ya know Laney, I don't think we're being fair ta Rude." Reno mused into the window, his fingers drumming on the back of Elena's seat as he rested his chin on his hand.

Elena thought he looked almost as aloof as Rufus did sometimes, but the quirky smile on his face and the fingers irritably drumming on the back of her seat told her he was currently plotting. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what he had planned though. "What do you mean by that?"

Reno smiled and watched her inconspicuously in the side-mirror just outside his window, "I mean Rude _always_ gets stuck with Rufus when we have ta protect him. Not exactly fair is it? I mean really Laney, how many times have you had ta watch el Presidente?"

Elena chewed her lips as she thought, steering the car carefully in and out of traffic as they headed back to the Shinra building with Reno's suit swinging gently from a hanger in her backseat. The drumming fingers on the back of her chair made her want to slap the annoying red-head's hand away, but she had to keep her hands on the wheel, Reno had already tried to steer for her once when she had removed a hand to scratch her nose. "Twice? I really never get sent on these missions though. Usually Tseng has other things for me to do. Like paperwork. Lots and lots of flippin' paperwork." Elena tried not to sound bitter, she really did, but the cutting edge to her voice said more than she could hide.

Reno smirked, catching the angry tone of Elena's voice, "I get sent on them all the time, I think I'd rather have the damned paperwork. Rufus is quite the spoiled ass yo." He continued to drum on the back of her chair, watching as the continuous noise threatened to give Elena a rather adorable facial tick as she did her best to ignore it.

Elena's nose itched like crazy but she was too frightened of Reno wrecking her car to scratch it. "So what are you trying to say?" The drumming hand near her shoulder was starting to drive her insane. "Reno _please_ stop that."

Reno's hand stilled and he looked at her with innocent wide eyes, "Stop what Laney?"

"Tapping the back of my seat, it's insanely annoying." Elena almost groaned as she steered into traffic, the endless line of cars in front of her coming to a sudden stop.

Reno smirked and moved his hand to her shoulder and began tapping his fingers there, "That better?"

Elena groaned with frustration as Reno's fingers danced on her shoulder, "No."

Reno grinned and started toying with her ear, "If you don't like it then _make_ me stop."

Elena shivered as Reno's fingers ghosted over the shell of her ear. "The last time I took my hands off the wheel you nearly crashed the car into a semi." Traffic creeped forward slowly and Elena moved with it, shaking her head in an attempt to remove the distracting fingers trailing over her skin.

Reno chuckled and turned in his seat, fully engaged in tormenting Elena. He continued to idly toy with her ear as he spoke, "You worry too much about me crashing. I'm a good driver yo, only been in three accidents and those were in helicopters. Anyways, what I'm trying ta say is that Rude never has a chance ta have any fun on these missions. Besides, Rufus complains because Rude just stands there and scares the shit outta everyone. At least when I get stuck with him I try ta talk and be annoying."

Elena felt a blush creeping up her face as Reno's teasing fingers moved from her ear to her neck. Her hands tensed on the wheel and she did her best to ignore the light tickling that was starting to make her giggle, "You're good at being annoying. So what do you think we should do?"

Reno noticed Elena's poorly hidden giggling and took full advantage of the weakness, tickling her neck and laughing as she jumped and swatted at his hands. She pulled both hands off the wheel to grab hold of his, glaring at him while other cars continued to slowly move forward in front of them. Reno grinned, enjoying her anger far too much, "You're a little edgy, aren't ya?"

"I'm trying to drive Reno. Keep your hands to yourself." Elena threw Reno's hands away from her with one last glare and irritably grabbed the wheel, creeping the car forward to close the small gap in traffic her stopping had caused.

Reno sighed and pouted, twiddling his thumbs in his lap, "I think we should play hot potato with the President, ya know? Switch off between me, you, and Rude until it's time for us ta actually do something."

Elena continued to glare out the windshield, her voice curt as she tried to stay angry with the pouting red-head, "Sounds fine."

Reno took in Elena's angered glare with a frown, suddenly very unsure of himself. "You had fun today, right?"

Elena blinked, surprised by the question. Her face softened as she took in Reno's countenance, "Of course I did."

Reno continued to giver her a doubtful glare, "More fun that you have at work?"

Elena shrugged, turning her eyes back to the road as traffic started to move faster, "How much fun can anyone have doing paperwork?"

Reno grinned, his somber expression disintegrating, "You owe me a date."

Elena stomped on the brakes and whipped her head around to look at Reno, "I owe you a _what?_"

"I bet you one date that you would have more fun with me today than you would ever have at work." Reno smirked, leaning back comfortably in his chair as cars behind them began honking, "You might wanna start drivin' again Laney. You're pissin' people off."

"I'm not the only one." Elena frowned and began driving again, glaring at the thinning line of cars in front of her once more.

Reno sat smugly in his chair and looked out the window, his hand resting on the back of Elena's chair as he began drumming his fingers again.

* * *

Rude looked up as Elena and Reno entered the office, looking back down at his paperwork hastily after he caught the angry scowl on Elena's face. Rude kept his face neutral as Reno threw a suit on his desk and set a small styrofoam box on Elena's. Rude sighed and continued filling out his paperwork, "Put your stuff somewhere else Reno."

Reno groaned, "Just keep it there for a second okay? Tseng said I had ta pick this junk up when I got back." Reno grabbed a handful of crumpled papers off the floor and waved them in Rude's face.

Rude frowned at him, "He said you had to file it properly too."

Reno shrugged and set the papers on his desk, "One step at a time partner."

Rude rolled his eyes and resumed his filing, deciding that it was best not to ask why Elena's suit was in complete disarray. By the look on Elena's face he felt it was better that he didn't know. Besides, if it was anything he should potentially be worried about, Reno would tell him.

"So Rude, Laney and I had an idea." Reno spoke nonchalantly as he haphazardly stacked papers onto his desk.

"What would that be?" Rude asked tentatively. He judged by the ever deepening scowl on Elena's face that she had very little to do with whatever _idea_ Reno had.

"That we play hot potato with the President during our next mission, you know, the one we have ta get all dressed up for?" Reno finished stacking his papers onto his desk and sat down, propping his feet on the helter-skelter mess that was his desk.

"Hot potato?" Rude raised an eyebrow, his pen stopping halfway down the page of his file.

"Yeah you know, hot potato!" Reno snorted, "We take shifts with him, no one gets stuck with him for more than fifteen minutes, well, at least not until the mission actually starts ya know? Once we actually have ta do stuff you're gonna be saddled with him."

Rude shrugged and went back to his paperwork. "Sounds fine."

Reno grinned, "I knew you'd approve!"

* * *

Tseng walked into the office a short while later, a cup of coffee in one hand and a rolled up newspaper in the other. He quickly surveyed the room with a raised eyebrow before he spoke, "Reno, in my office. Ten minutes."

Reno sighed dramatically, "Am I in trouble?"

"You will be if you're late." Tseng sipped his coffee and stared at Elena as she monotonously filed paperwork, "Elena what happened to you?"

Elena looked up, "What?"

Tseng chuckled and gestured at her with the newspaper, "Your suit is a mess."

Elena gasped and started adjusting her clothes, "Sorry sir! It won't happen again."

Rude chuckled and Tseng gave a very rarely seen grin, "Was Reno any trouble?"

Elena glared at Reno before answering, "He wasn't too much trouble. He didn't behave but he wasn't ridiculous either."

Tseng raised an eyebrow at her, "If he wasn't any trouble then why did it take you three and a half hours to get back?"

Elena blushed and cleared her throat, "We got his suit fitted and the tailor said he-"

Reno cut her off mid-story and started talking, "That tailor was annoying yo! After we got all our suit trying on stuff done I told him ta get it fixed up in a couple hours and then we'd be back for it so then we went ta lunch but after that we still had time ta waste so we went to the mall and lost track of time 'cause we were having fun."

Tseng stared at Reno, "Did you breathe once in that sentence?"

Reno grinned, panting slightly, "No, should I have?"

Tseng chuckled, "Probably, your face is redder than Elena's."

Elena frowned angrily, "Don't compare him to me!"

Tseng chuckled and left the office, "Remember Reno, my office, ten minutes. Get your suit of Rude's desk too."

Reno stuffed his hands in his pockets as he waited for Tseng to let him into the office. He sighed loudly and shuffled his feet as he waited, an impatient scowl on his face. After a few minutes of waiting Tseng opened the door and let him in, "I said ten minutes Reno, not three."

Reno shrugged, "Oh well, I'm here on time aren't I?"

Tseng sat behind his desk, "So you are."

Reno slumped into a chair across from Tseng's, "So whatcha got for me boss-man?"

Tseng pulled a file out of his desk and set it in front of Reno, "A quick mission. The President needs this man assassinated before he leaves for Gongaga tonight. Disguise yourself and take care of him. It shouldn't be too hard for you."

Reno thumbed through the mission folder halfheartedly, "Get in, get out, go home?"

Tseng nodded, "Yes, I don't really care what you do after you're done with this. Just make sure you call and let me know if it was a success."

Reno nodded and stood up, "Anything else?"

Tseng shook his head with a small chuckle, "No, but I must ask you to be discrete about this. I remember your last _disguise_." Reno rolled his eyes before walking out of the office with the folder tucked tightly under his arm.

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**Author's Note: Sidebar mission! R&R!**


	10. Chapter 10

Reno walked back into the office, the file Tseng had given him tightly tucked under one arm. He set the file on top of scattered stacks of papers and started to ruffle through the drawers on his desk, searching through half-emptied bottles of superglue, paperclips, rubber bands, and broken pens. Finally his deft fingers caught hold of the small bag he wanted and he quickly pulled it out, stuffing it into is pocket with a slight frown. He glanced at Rude and Elena, "I'll see you guys later alright yo? Somebody get my suit home."

Elena opened her mouth to ask a question but Rude cut her off, "Done. Don't get yourself killed."

Reno laughed and tucked the folder back under his arm, "Do I ever get myself killed?"

Rude blinked at him, "Is that a rhetorical question?"

Reno shrugged and walked out of the room, "Don't know what rhetoric is yo."

Rude sighed and turned back to his paperwork, studiously ignoring the look Elena was sending his way.

* * *

Reno fished through his pocket and after a few minutes of searching managed to find his car keys. He swung them on his finger triumphantly before he unlocked his car and climbed into the red vehicle with a smile. He threw the file carelessly into the passenger seat and slammed his door shut. He pulled the small bag he had brought from his desk out of his pocket and opened it, grimacing at the small white case that lay inside. He pulled it out and flipped down his visor, glancing in the small mirror set in its back as he unscrewed the top of the white case and pulled out a brown tinted contact. He frowned and set the small brown circle into his eye and blinked furiously as the contact made his eye water madly. He set the second contact into his other eye with a similarly teary reaction then threw the case onto the passenger side floor of his car and opened the bag again. He grabbed a small bottle of cheap, colored hairspray and set to the unhappy task of turning his vibrant red locks a dull brown. When he finished he opened the window, coughing like mad as the aerosol fumes choked him, and the empty can was thrown to the floor as well. He reached into the bag once more and pulled out a small bottle of make-up, grimacing as he smeared the creamy substance over his beloved tattoos. He then shoved the bag onto the floor and examined himself in his visor mirror with distaste, unhappy but satisfied that his disguise would meet Tseng's standards.

Reno flipped his visor back up with a sigh and pulled the mission file into his lap with a small smile. He carefully and quickly scanned its contents, absorbing the information faster than Tseng would give him credit for. He then tossed the file into his glovebox where a stack of old mission files lay yellowing pathetically and started the car, his mind already immersed in planning the task at hand.

Reno sped his car through the crowded streets of Midgar, going faster than the speed limit allowed but not so fast that he would be pulled over. Normally he would have ignored all traffic laws but Tseng had asked him to be discreet and he treated the request like an order. He parked almost three blocks away from the building in which his mission was to take place and then opened his supply bag again. He pulled out a gun and quickly made sure it was loaded before stuffing it inside his jacket and climbing out of the car, locking it behind him with a sad sigh. Contrary to popularly held beliefs Reno hated killing people, especially people with families. He knew the big-wig target Tseng had ordered him to assassinate had a young daughter who had only just turned four. Having lost his parents early on in life, Reno absolutely hated the fact that he had to force a fatherless upbringing on a small girl he had never met.

Reno used the fake ID's that Tseng had sent with him and entered the building with ease, not one person suspected that mild-mannered accountant Joshua Upton was in reality blood-seeking Turk Reno Sinclair. Reno felt a small smug smile twitch the corner of his lips as he expertly convinced his targets secretary to let him have a brief interview during the man's conveniently timed break between meetings. Reno entered the office of his target with a courteous bow and extended his hand respectfully, "Good afternoon sir."

The target huffed pompously and didn't even both to acknowledge Reno with a glance as he dutifully busied himself with the files on his desk, "You better have a good reason for barging in without an appointment boy, I'm a busy man."

Reno suddenly didn't feel so bad about killing him anymore. "Actually I have a very good reason."

"Well get on with it I don't exactly have all day." The man slammed his pen down on his desk and glared at Reno.

Reno smirked, "I agree with that, you certainly _don't_ have all day." He hated theatrics, but the mission file had specifically instructed him on the message he was to relay. If not for the sake of the man in front of him, but for the benefit of the people who would eventually watch the security cameras to figure out why there boss was sitting in a bloody puddle on his desk.

The man blinked, "Well get on with it then!"

Reno chuckled, "I don't think you understand sir." He walked closer to the desk with a cocky grin, "I'm here on official Shinra business."

The man stiffened noticeably, "Who let you in?"

"Does it matter?" Reno snorted and continued, "I have a message for you."

"What message?" The man started to fiercely jab the security call button under his desk.

Reno laughed, "I already deactivated it yo, no ones coming until after the shot is fired. I'm here to let you know that _no_ _one_ takes what Shinra gives them and then uses it as a weapon against him."

The man began to crumble before his eyes, his pompous demeanor quickly shifting to a horrified and panicked stuttering, "Please, take whatever you want! I'll give you anything! Just let me go home to my family! Please!"

Reno sighed and pulled a gun out of his jacket, "You'll hafta go back in a coffin old man. If you wanted to be with your family so much ya never woulda tried to double-cross Shinra."

"I beg you!" The man stood up, the sudden motion triggering Reno's reflexes and making him snap the gun to eye-level. The man lifted his hands in fear, "Please, not in front of my daughter!"

Reno heard a small, quiet gasp behind him and resisted the powerful urge to turn around at the quietly whispered, "Daddy?"

"Please, not in front of her! Not in front of my little Irene!" The man had tears in his eyes as he watched Reno's hold on the gun tighten. He walked out from behind the desk, his hands still at eye level as he tried to shoo his daughter out of the room, "Irene just go! Go play it'll be alright!"

Reno felt a small part of him die inside as he pulled the trigger, the same small part of him that always died when he killed. He knew that one day the killing he did would destroy him completely, the little chips of his soul could only grow back so many times.

He watched the man fall to the floor in front of him, his chest spouting blood as he gave his daughter one last, bloody smile. A small pink blur ran past him with a scream and he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. He quickly recovered and ran past the wailing girl, trying not to see her as he passed. He threw open the window and stood on the ledge, trying to predict how he should fall to minimize the amount of damage he would receive. He thought it was a good thing this big-wigs office was only three floors up, probably so his daughter didn't have to climb so many stairs to visit him.

Reno's heart gave a pang at that thought and a quiet sob sounded behind him. Reno squinched his eyes closed and braced himself for the sight that was behind him. He reluctantly turned his head as he heard rushed footsteps draw near, and visibly paled as his temporarily brown eyes met blue ones that sparkled with tears. The little girls blond curls were tipped red with blood and her face was smeared with the viscous substance that flowed freely from the hole Reno had put into her father. She looked Reno right in the eye just as the security guard who belonged to the steps that had thundered down the hall entered the room. He saw her tiny lips move and his ears barely caught the sound of her tiny, tear-filled, inquisitive voice as the security guard shot him, "Why?" The little part of his soul that had died seemed to pierce through his gut as the bullet pierced his arm.

Reno staggered as the bullet bit through his right arm and he fell out the window, thoughts of a safe landing banished from his head as pain cut through his mind, but the pain didn't come from the hole in his arm. He landed in a heap and quickly pushed himself to his feet, grabbing his gun where it had landed a few feet away from him. He quickly shoved it in his pocket and squeezed his arm to try and stop the bleeding as the security guard shot out the window at him, the bullets gouging holes in the sidewalk around him. He ran quickly towards his car and rubbed the contacts out of his eyes with a bloody hand as tears started to make them burn.

Reno started his car and sped down the road, no longer heeding traffic laws as he nearly ran several other cars off the road. He pulled into an empty parking lot in the slums and shut off his car. Reno leaned his head against the steering wheel and tried to calm his panicked and sob-choked breathing. He pulled his phone out of his jacket, fingers brushing cold steel as they moved past his gun. He quickly opened the device and blindly punched in a number he had memorized years ago. He held the phone to his ear.

"_Reno?_" Tseng answered curtly, his voice clipped and tinny.

"Job done. Mission success." Reno growled, his voice wavering and cracking slightly as he held back the loud sobs that racked his body and threatened to break him.

"_And you?_" Tseng's voice was suddenly concerned.

"Just a scratch. I'll live." Reno breathed through his nose to control his emotions like Rude had taught him to years ago.

Reno could almost hear the frown on Tseng' s lips, "_Come back to headquarters._"

"Tseng you have a better chance of me driving this fucking car off the plate than you've got of me setting foot in that hell-hole again today." Reno snarled, the breathing exercise not working to settle him down. The pain in his arm throbbed dully in sync with the tear-induced headache that threatened to pound his head to pieces.

Tseng sighed, "_You're sure it's just a scratch?_"

"I've had worse." Reno gave his bleeding arm a quick look and then pulled out the tie he always kept in his pocket in case Tseng had surprise uniform inspection to spite him. He wrapped the strip of cloth around his arm and tied it in a tight knot.

"_Where are you going to go?_" Tseng sounded concerned and Reno knew he would probably send Rude to check up on him later.

"I'm gonna get drunk off my ass and then stagger home." Reno choked, his voice starting to waver again as the image of bright blue eyes flashed through his head.

"_What happened Reno?_" Tseng asked, his voice sounding cautious.

"Watch the damn security tapes, I know you can have them in your office in ten minutes." Reno clicked his phone shut and stuffed it back in his pocket angrily, unwilling to be interrogated. He restarted his car and drove numbly out of the empty lot and back into traffic, his head buzzing with regretful thoughts as the sky opened up and began to pour rain on the damaged city around him.

Reno parked his car at Seventh Heaven and got out, the rain washing the make-up and dye from his hair and face. He felt the rain wash his makeshift blood-soaked bandage clean and shook off the red-rivers that trickled down his finger-tips in tiny eddies. He stood with his face upturned to the downpour, feeling the brown and crimson swirls trickle down his body in little streams to pool around his feet. When he felt sufficiently undisguised he strode to the entrance of the bar and pushed open the door, his soaked suit dripping large, slightly brown puddles onto Tifa's well-polished floor.

* * *

**Author's Note: Reno did a bad thing! Don't think too little of him for it though! He was under orders and obviously feels bad about it!**

**R&R!!**

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	11. Chapter 11

Reno sighed and wiped his feet off on Tifa's welcome mat before stepping all the way into Seventh Heaven. He braced himself as a small brown and white blur lunged at him and small arms wrapped around his torso with a loud and high pitched scream, "Uncle Reno!"

Reno staggered a little bit before patting Marlene on the back with a sad smile, "Good ta see ya Marlene."

Marlene released him quickly and shook herself off, "You're all wet Uncle Reno!"

Denzel chuckled from a booth near the door, "That's why ya gotta look before you leap silly. You just watched him stand outside in the rain for about five minutes."

"I didn't think he'd be that wet!" Marlene pouted at Denzel before taking Reno's hand and pulling him into their booth. "Come sit with me!"

Reno complied and sat, trying not to meet her sparkling brown eyes as he smiled at her, "Where's everybody at Marls?"

Marlene giggled and Denzel answered from across the table, "It's a weeknight, nobody wants to drink on a weeknight."

Reno nodded in understanding and nearly jumped out of his skin when Marlene prodded his injured arm. She looked at her blood tipped finger and then ran from the table, "Tifa! Uncle Reno's hurt! Uncle Reno's hurt! He's bleeding!"

Reno ran a hand over his face, "Oh jeez. I didn't want her ta notice."

Denzel looked at him quizzically, "How did you get hurt?"

"It's just a scratch Denz. I'll be fine." Reno smiled reassuringly, almost loosing his cool when he saw the innocent curiosity in Denzel's sparkling blue eyes. Eyes that were so very blue like the four year old girl who's father had died before her eyes. Reno still felt terrible for causing the death of Denzel's family and tried to atone for his dire mistake by spoiling both Denzel and Marlene as much as he could when he saw them.

Denzel frowned, catching the sadness in Reno's voice, "You don't look fine. Scary mission?"

Reno snorted, "Somethin' like that."

Denzel sighed, "I think it'd be cool to be a Turk."

Reno laughed, "Don't let Cloud hear ya say that."

Denzel laughed, "I won't. Why was your hair brown? I didn't recognize you."

Reno winked, "Had ta disguise myself kiddo."

Denzel grinned, "A disguise! Cool! So you were like a spy today?" They heard a familiar motorcycle roar to a stop outside the bar. Denzel looked at the door excitedly, "Cloud's home! I'm gonna go get Tifa!" Denzel ran from the bar to the back room where Reno could hear Marlene and Tifa talking hurriedly.

Cloud stumbled into the bar, his hair damp from the rain outside. He spotted Reno and his eyes narrowed as he hung his jacket up on a rack beside the door, "Go get drunk somewhere else Reno."

Reno smiled, "Nice ta see you too Cloud. What reason do ya have for not wanting me here this time?"

Cloud frowned, "The kids like you better sober. If you're going to stay you're not going to drink." Cloud looked Reno up and down quizzically, "You're bleeding all over."

"I don't like me better sober." Reno sighed and looked at his arm, "Most of this is rain water actually, this is just a scratch. I've had worse."

Cloud rolled his eyes, "I'll go get Tifa. Don't break anything."

Reno smiled as Cloud walked away. The blonde's reaction to his presence was so very predictable. Reno knew Cloud had never fully forgiven him for his actions during the war against Sephiroth, but he knew the blonde felt that he had redeemed himself well during their battle against the remnants. Cloud was still taking some time to get used to his peaceful presence, but Reno didn't mind. Cloud had kicked his ass enough times that he wasn't exactly fond of the blonde either, it was an ego thing.

Marlene dragged Tifa into the bar, a first aid kit in the small girl's hand. She set the kit on the table and looked at Reno with large worried eyes, "See Tifa! Uncle Reno's hurt!"

Tifa frowned, "So he is." She opened the first aid kit and pointed to Reno's arm, "Take off the shirt and jacket, I need to see it to fix it."

Reno complied, knowing better than to disobey Tifa. Her punches hurt. "I'm fine Tifa. It's just a scratch."

Marlene sat across the table from Reno with Denzel and watched nervously as Tifa pulled out a brown bottle, "Do you have to put that stuff on it?"

Tifa smiled, "I have to clean it out." Marlene winced as Tifa poured the peroxide on Reno's arm. Reno grimaced but showed no other signs of pain. Tifa looked at him happily, "See Marlene? It's not that bad."

Reno gritted his teeth, "Oh yeah, feels like heaven." Cloud sniggered and Tifa shot him a look.

Denzel elbowed Marlene teasingly, "See Marlene? He didn't even cry! Reno's tough!"

"_Uncle_ Reno's tough!" Marlene corrected, slipping out of the booth to stand beside Tifa as she mopped up the now foamy blood coating Reno's arm.

"_Uncle _Reno?" Cloud crossed his arms in front of his chest with a frown, "I should slap whoever taught you to call him that." He glared at Reno accusingly.

Tifa cleared her throat, "_I_ taught her to call him that." Cloud quickly cleared his throat and backed away from the needle-wielding barmaid. Tifa threaded surgical string through the eye of the needle and started to stitch the large gash in Reno's arm closed. "So what happened this time Reno?"

Reno buried his face in his free hand, "I......don't really wanna talk about it."

Tifa gave him a concerned glance as she threaded the needle through his arm, "Kids could you please go upstairs? I'm guessing this isn't a story for little ears."

Denzel groaned, "But Reno's stories are cool!"

Cloud sighed, "Come on kids, upstairs."

Denzel sighed and walked moodily over to the stairs. Marlene pouted at Cloud and then quickly gave Reno a hug and a kiss on the cheek before rushing up the stairs. Reno watched them run upstairs with teary eyes as the horrifying memory of the small blonde girl flooded behind his eyes. Tifa shook him gently, "Reno? You still with us?"

Reno shook his head and buried his face in his free hand, trying to hide the tears forming at the corners of his eyes, "Yeah."

Tifa frowned, "What happened today? Why is your back turning purple?"

Reno looked over his shoulder, "My back?"

Tifa nodded and continued stitching, "Its one giant bruise."

Reno snorted, "That would be where I landed."

"Where you landed?" Tifa raised an eyebrow at him.

Reno smirked, "I don't advise jumping out of windows. The results are usually painful."

Tifa looked at him sternly, "You're lucky you didn't die today, aren't you? What happened?"

Reno stammered, not wanting to cry in front of his former enemies as a small blood streaked face flashed behind his eyes, "I.....I.....I-"

A phone rang upstairs and Cloud went to answer it as Tifa finally finished stitching Reno's arm, "Reno, what did you do?"

"Killed someone today." Reno rushed out, his hand still covering his face as he refused to look at Tifa.

Tifa sighed sadly, "You've killed a lot of people, what made this different?"

Cloud walked downstairs, phone in hand. "Tifa, it's for you. Elena wants a word."

Reno looked up, "Elena? What does she want?"

Cloud frowned at him, "That's for Tifa to know. She'll tell you if she feels like it."

Tifa patted Reno on his good arm, "Talk to Cloud. I'll be back to give you one of our usual therapy sessions later." She took the phone from Cloud and warned, "Be nice to him."

Cloud humphed and sat next to Reno, taking the blood stained rag Tifa had been using to mop up Reno's arm and starting to wipe off the red streaks Tifa had missed. "So what's the problem?"

"Killed someone today." Reno sighed heavily, rubbing his temple with his fingers. If Elena was calling Tifa it meant that Tseng was probably going to send her to check up on him.

"You've killed plenty of people. What makes this any different?" Cloud pressed his lips into a thin line, showing the distaste he couldn't voice.

Reno's shoulders began to shake with suppressed sobs, "His daughter walked in right before I pulled the trigger."

"How old was his daughter?" Cloud grit his teeth, just as horrified as Reno was.

"Four." Reno sobbed, no tears falling from his eyes as he choked.

Cloud squeezed his eyes shut and dropped the cloth, "And you still shot him?"

"It was either he died, or I did. As you can see I almost died anyways." Reno frowned at his arm, strongly tempted to pull the gun out of his jacket and shove it in his mouth.

Cloud sighed, "What did he do wrong?"

"He had information that he was going to use against Shinra. It was information that would've put thousands of lives at risk, especially the lives of people I love." Reno ran his hand through his hair, the remaining brown dye that soaked certain spots staining his fingers.

Cloud raised an eyebrow, "People you love?"

Reno glared at him, "What? You think I can't love people? I've been working with Rude, Tseng, Rufus, and Elena for years. Of course I love them! Sure we've all done horrible things because our job requires it, but they're still good people who deserve love!"

Cloud held his hand up to stop Reno mid-rant, "I never said they didn't. I just never expected you to admit it sober."

Reno chuckled sadly and ran his hand over his face, "I can't get her out of my head. I crushed her childhood today. Today that little girl grew up more than she ever should have."

Cloud nodded, "At least you feel bad about it. It means you're human."

Reno's mouth twitched in a small smile, "Sometimes I wish I wasn't."

Cloud laughed, "And you call me emo."

Reno laughed with him as Tifa walked back down the stairs with a smile, "Feeling better?"

Reno snorted and let her examine his arm, "I'm not as likely ta shove a gun in my mouth."

Tifa nodded, "Good." She slapped him in the face.

Reno held his cheek and gazed at her open mouthed, "What the hell was that for?"

Tifa put her hands on her hips, "Why did you worry Elena like that? She said something about you driving your car off the plate!"

Reno recovered from the surprise of being slapped, "I told Tseng he had a better chance of me driving my car off the plate than he had of me going back ta work today. Something got lost in translation."

Tifa frowned at him, "You shouldn't worry her like that! She sounded like she was gonna cry!" Reno smiled and Tifa slapped him for it. "This isn't a joke Reno!"

Reno rubbed his cheek, "I wasn't smiling because its funny, I'm smiling because I'm happy. If she's worried that means she can't be too mad at me for today." Reno gasped and grabbed his jacket, quickly digging through his pockets. He sighed with relief as he felt the silver clip safely in his pocket. He was worried it might have fallen out during his fall. He slipped his shirt on and began to button it.

Tifa raised an eyebrow at him, "Are you that much better after talking to Cloud? And here I thought I was supposed to be your therapist."

Reno smiled, "Tifa I would spend all my money and drink every last bit of booze ya had in this place if it would make me forget what I did today."

"And what exactly did you do?" Tifa packed up her first aid kit with a curious glance at Cloud.

Reno frowned, "Cloud, if you could fill her in for me?"

Cloud nodded, "Can do."

Tifa patted him on the shoulder gently, "Elena said she'd come by to see you in a few minutes."

Reno smiled, "Just like Laney ta come check up on little ol' me. I knew she loved me! I'm gonna say goodbye ta Denzel and Marlene before I go." Reno grinned and walked upstairs, Tifa and Cloud exchanging whispered words behind him. "Hey kids! I gotta go!"

Denzel and Marlene launched themselves out of their room and small arms wrapped around his waist as Marlene gave him a hug and looked up at him with wide brown eyes, "Do you have to go Uncle Reno?"

Denzel frowned at him, his blue eyes wide with awe and curiosity "Did you really kill someone today?"

Reno frowned at him as he returned Marlene's hug, "You weren't supposed to be listening."

Denzel blushed as Marlene began to tattle on him, "I told him to stay in our room but he wouldn't listen!"

Reno laughed, "She's ratted ya out kiddo!"

Denzel blushed, "I was curious! I would've found out anyways!"

Reno ruffled his hair, "You better be glad I'm not a tattle-tale like Marls here." Marlene pouted and he winked at her. "Otherwise you'd be in big trouble. We'll just keep it our little secret though, okay?"

Denzel and Marlene nodded and Reno walked back downstairs, the two children trailing behind him. When they reached the ground floor where the bar was located Reno felt a hand strike his face. He held his stinging cheek as Elena wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him into a tight hug, "Don't you ever scare me like that again!"

Reno sighed, "How many times am I gonna get slapped today? My poor face can't take it!"

Denzel laughed and Reno shot him a look over his shoulder as he patted Elena on the back, "Reno you deserve more than a slap for that! What did you think we thought?"

Reno looked up and saw Rude standing in the doorway, a stoic yet somehow angry and relieved expression on his face, "What did Tseng tell you guys?"

"That you were getting suicidal." Rude grunted as he watched the scene with a small smile that only Reno would be able to notice.

Reno moved to take a step forward but found his progress impeded by the small blonde woman clinging tightly to his waist, "Yo Laney, I might need ta breathe sometime soon."

Elena blushed and released him, walking back towards Rude. "Tseng said you were hurt too."

"Tifa fixed me up." Reno grinned, following Elena as she wound through the tables. "What made him think I was suicidal?"

"Something about you driving your car off the plate." Rude snorted, grinning as he watched Denzel stare at him in awe. He knew the boy looked at any adult who had sided with Cloud and Tifa during the fight against the remnants like they were heros. He hoped that the boy would never find out just how unheroic he could be.

Reno laughed, "I was upset, not serious."

Rude snorted and motioned with his head towards the door, "Lets get going. You don't have to go back to work. Shift is over."

Reno smiled and patted Marlene affectionately on the head as she wrapped him in one last hug, "See ya 'round kiddo." He pried the small girl from his waist and walked towards Rude and Elena. "Thanks for the therapy yo, you should really start a business."

Cloud snorted, "Don't we have enough trouble dealing with just your problems?"

Tifa slapped Cloud in the back of the head, "What did I tell you about being nice?"

Elena laughed and pulled Reno out of the bar and into the rain. Reno allowed himself to be dragged back to his car. Rude and Elena had a silent conversation while he fished in his pocket for his keys and then Rude drove away. Reno raised an eyebrow and gave a pained grunt as Elena pushed him against the car. She snatched the keys out of his hand and pecked him chastely on the lips before shoving him towards the passenger side of the car. Reno felt himself blush at her boldness and allowed himself to be prodded into the seat. "Wha-what was that?"

"My first successful kissy-stealy. Proud?" Elena smirked and started the car, pulling out of Tifa's parking lot and into traffic.

Reno prodded his lips gently, almost not believing what had just happened, "Su-sure."

Elena blushed and concentrated on the road. "For once you're almost speechless."

Reno sat back in his seat, wincing as his bruised back pressed into the leather, "You're a good learner."

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Author's Note: Woot! Elena has perfected Reno's technique! And so the pupil surpasses the teacher... **

**R&R!!!**


	12. Chapter 12

Reno set back in his seat with a wince and watched Elena drive, a small smirk playing about his lips as her face turned red. "So why did you wanna drive? Payback for earlier," Reno grinned cheekily, "or do ya just like kissin' me?"

Elena humphed, "Rude and I didn't know how much you'd had to drink."

Reno snorted, "For once I actually stayed sober."

"You expect me to believe that?" Elena raised an eyebrow, "You _never_ go to a bar without having a drink."

"How about when we went ta shoot pool? I didn't drink then." Reno gave her a smug smirk.

"You went home and drank after." Elena pointed out, "Fact is you can't go to a bar without feeling the thirst."

Reno shrugged, "Fact is I'm sober. Need verification?" Reno took a deep breath and began tapping his nose, "Z Y X W V U T S R Q-"

Elena groaned, "Please stop." Reno lowered his hand and began to pout. Elena gave another groan as she pulled into the rain flooded parking lot, "No pouting either."

"But you like it when I pout." Reno stuck his lower lip out further.

Elena sighed, "Just because it makes you look cute doesn't mean I like it. Stop playing your stupid head games alright?"

"Head games?" Reno asked, the confusion in his voice genuine.

"You know what I mean." Elena scowled and parked the car in the driest place she could find.

"Actually I have _no_ idea what you're talkin' about." Reno frowned.

Elena threw open her door and got out of the car, "Don't play stupid Reno!" She quickly navigated through the parking lot and entered the building.

Reno got out of the car and slammed the door shut behind him, rain drenching him in an instant and rinsing the last dregs of brown dye from his hair. He stomped through puddles and into the mercifully empty building, a confused and angry scowl twisting his features. He stood in front of Elena and hissed, "I'm _not_ playin' stupid."

Elena crossed her arms in front of her chest and leaned against a wall, "Oh right, I forgot. It's not an act it's the real deal!"

Reno grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her gently, small droplets of water falling onto the dry floor, "What the hell did I do Laney? You think all this stuff has been head games? You don't think I can actually mean what I say when I tell you I like you? That I want you? Is that it?"

Elena frowned at him, "You _don't_ mean it! You're messing with me! Just like you always are!"

Reno felt his heart break at that statement and his face softened. He moved one hand from her shoulder to her gently cup her cheek, "I am _not_ lyin'." He ran a thumb over a delicate cheekbone, "Elena, I swear ta every god that was ever thunk up I didn't lie."

Elena stiffened but didn't remove his hands, "I'm still mad at you."

Reno sighed and brushed a few stray damp hairs out of her face, feeling a strange obsession to simply _touch_. "Why?"

Elena began to cry, the stress of the day finally pushing her to her breaking point, "Dammit Reno! Why the hell did you let us think you were gonna kill yourself!? Do you know how worried I was? We looked everywhere! We even drove past the building where you had your mission and we couldn't find you! Do you even know what I was thinking you did to yourself? I was afraid we'd walk into your apartment and find you dangling from the ceiling or something! I thought we'd turn a corner and see your car in a burning heap!"

Reno wrapped sore rain-soaked arms around her and held her close, her wet face buried into his equally wet shoulder, "Laney I'm sorry. I never wanted ya ta worry. I told Tseng somethin' _completely_ different from what he told ya. I'm gonna kick his ass for it tomorrow."

Elena gave a chocked laugh, "All he said was that hurt and were gonna drive your car off the plate and we ran to find you before you could hurt yourself."

Reno laughed and stroked her damp hair, the need to touch still driving his actions, "Laney! You were irresponsible and didn't wait till ya got all details of the mission before ya ran off? Aren't _you_ the one who usually yells at _me_ for doing that?"

Elena's pulled away from Reno's tight embrace and looked at him sternly through slightly puffy eyes, "You would've done the same thing!"

Reno smirked and wiped the tears and rain off her face with his thumb. _Touch._ "Actually, Tseng would only have been able ta say, 'Elena's hurt' and then I'd be out the door. You did better than I would've."

Elena laughed, "Sorry for blowing up on you Reno. It's been one hell of a day."

Reno nodded in understanding and cupped her face in his hands, "Can I make it better?"

Elena blushed and sniffed, "Will I regret saying yes?"

"Absolutely not." Reno grinned and bent his face closer to hers, his hands holding her face steady. _Please say yes._

Elena gulped and shakily said, "Then yes."

Reno smiled and caught her tender lips in his own with a happy sigh. The overwhelming desire to touch only grew more insistent as he moved his lips against hers. He held her face in one hand and wrapped the other arm around her, pulling her damp form closer. She gave a small whimper and Reno hissed as he felt her fingers clutch desperately at his far too tender back. He gasped and pulled away, his head falling forward onto her shoulder as the pain made him dizzy. He gave a pained whisper against her neck, "Laney let go."

Elena quickly dropped her hands to her sides, "Are you alright?"

Reno nodded as the pain in his back subsided. He sighed and pulled his head off her shoulder, "Sorry Laney, I jumped out of a third story window today. Back kinda hurts."

Elena gasped and quickly began to usher him towards his apartment, "Why didn't you tell me you were hurt? I knew you got shot, Tifa told me, but why didn't you tell me it was more serious than that?"

Reno laughed and let himself be herded into the elevator, "Because I figured it would worry ya more if I told ya my back looks like I've been trampled by angry elephants."

Elena jabbed the button for his floor, knowing where it was because of the many times she'd had to drag him home half drunk. She frowned and placed her hands on her hips, "You don't think I might need to know when your back hurts? I wouldn't have touched it if you'd told me!"

Reno smirked triumphantly, "So you're upset because I _stopped_ kissing you? Usually you're upset because I _won't _stop kissing you."

Elena blushed and tenderly forced him out of the elevator. She gently but firmly guided him towards his apartment. She pulled out his keys and handed them to him, "Let us in."

Reno sniggered and spun the keys on his finger, "Not by the hairs on my chinny chin chin!"

Elena rolled her eyes and punched him playfully on the chin, "You don't _have_ any hairs on your chinny chin chin."

Reno gave a dramatic sigh, "I guess I have to let you in then." He unlocked his apartment and pushed open the door. "Forgive the mess, I wasn't expecting company."

Elena wrinkled her nose at the cluttered room, "Do you ever clean Reno?"

Reno shrugged with a wince and cleared off a spot on his couch, "Occasionally." He plopped down on the couch with a grimace and a sigh.

Elena frowned and stood beside the couch, "You're not going to sit there all soaking wet like that, are you?"

Reno raised an eyebrow, "I'm not sure you'd appreciate it if I stripped in front of you."

Elena blushed and pulled him to his feet, "Go change in your room then. You'll get sick if you don't dry off."

"You're just as wet as I am." Reno pointed out accusingly.

"I'll live. Go change." Elena pushed him gently towards his room.

Reno smirked, "Wanna watch?"

Elena rolled her eyes and started picking up his mess, "No thanks."

Reno sighed, "Your loss not mine." He shut his door and started to change.

Elena frowned as she picked up wrinkled clothes, empty beer bottles, and various bits of things she didn't want to _know_ the origins of. She wondered briefly how one man could make so much mess, but then reminded herself of just who she was dealing with. She threw away anything that couldn't be salvaged and set all the clothes in a pile on the floor. She didn't really understand the fierce need to clean his apartment forced on her, she just knew that if she didn't pick up _something_ she wouldn't be able to stay there another minute.

Seeing the room clean only made Elena more aware of how little Reno cared about himself. He only had a few pieces of furniture and they were mismatched and had probably been there since before he moved in. The only things in the room that looked new were the television and stereo. Music and movies, two things Elena knew Reno cared about enough to spend any excess money he had on. After boobs and booze, music and movies were his favorite things, something he let everyone know often.

Elena dusted her hands off and moved on to the kitchen, more than a little afraid of what she would find there. What she didn't expect was an almost completely clean space amidst the general clutter of the apartment. She blinked and rubber her eyes in disbelief, marveling at the kitchen whose cleanliness rivaled and even threatened to exceed that of her own.

Reno raised an eyebrow at his clean living room as he tightened his belt. He hadn't managed to get a shirt on as it had hurt to get his blood, rain, and dye soaked shirt off and he couldn't bear the idea of pulling a fresh one over his aching back and arm. He tossed his shoes carelessly by the door, "Hey Laney where'd ya go?"

Elena jumped and walked back to the living room, blushing furiously when her eyes took in Reno's half-naked form, "Your kitchen's clean."

Reno shrugged with a wince and walked past her to the kitchen, "Ya don't poop where ya eat, ya know?"

Elena frowned as she examined Reno's back, "What the hell happened today Reno?"

Reno brushed her question off with one of his own, "Can I getcha somethin'? All I've got ta drink is booze and water, but the water's clean and cold. I can put some ice in the booze but that kinda waters down the flavor and that's just-"

Elena put her hands on her hips, "You're deflecting."

"No, I'm _avoiding_." Reno smirked and pulled a cup out of his cupboard, "Now whaddaya wanna drink? If you don't say anythin' I'm gonna give ya booze."

"What happened Reno?" Elena pulled the cup out of his hand.

Reno snorted, "Booze it is then." He opened another cupboard filled to the brim with bottle of liquor. He shifted a few bottles around before choosing one he liked, "Give the glass back or I'll make ya drink outta the bottle."

Elena pressed the glass into Reno's expectant hand, "Please just tell me what happened! How bad can it be? You told Tifa and Cloud about it!"

"That's 'cause I don't feel nearly as terrible when I see the disappointment in their eyes. Besides I only told Cloud and he filled Tifa in when I went ta talk ta the kids." Reno rubbed his temples and slammed the glass down on the counter as Elena opened her mouth to reply, "Dammit Laney I don't wanna relive what happened today! That was quite possibly the worst mission I've ever had ta do and I count dropping the plate when I say that."

Elena looked at him with worry written plainly in her eyes. She pulled his hand off the glass in front of him, "You squeeze any harder and you'll break it." Reno released the glass and grabbed the bottle instead. Elena chewed her lower lip before taking the bottle from his hand as he began to fill the glass.

Reno raised an eyebrow at her as she set the bottle on the counter, "Laney?" She smiled and wrapped her arms around him, careful not to lay too much pressure on his back.

Elena pressed her cheek against his chest as a vibrant blush burned her face, "You look like you need a hug."

Reno blinked before cautiously wrapping his arms around her and returning the hug. When she didn't pull away he squeezed tighter and buried his face in her hair, "Thanks Laney."

**

* * *

Author's Note: YAY HUGGLES!!!!!!!! Poor Reno, so very very angry at himself.**


	13. Chapter 13

Elena released Reno quickly when she realized she was still holding him. She coughed nervously and tried to back away but he didn't release her, "Reno?"

Reno nuzzled his face into her hair, "Yeah Laney?"

She blushed harder, "You're um.....holding me?"

"Was that a question?" Reno sniggered, wrapping his arms around her securely as he whispered into her ear, "I believe the answer is yes if it was."

Elena shivered as his breath ghosted down the back of her neck, "Any reason why you're holding me?"

Reno shrugged with a wince, "You fit here." Elena, if it was possible, blushed harder and Reno laughed, "You look just like a sunrise Laney! All yellow and red!"

Elena was afraid to look up at him and kept her head against his chest, "You're horrible Reno!"

"You love it." Reno chuckled, pressing his lips to her ear and giving it a small nibble, "You're tasty Laney."

Elena gave a small squeak as Reno's tongue shot out and ran across her ear, "I am not food Reno!"

"I can't lick things if they aren't food?" Reno frowned and let Elena pull away.

"No!" Elena backed away and tried to hide her blushing face.

"If I'm not supposed to lick things that aren't food then why did they make windows taste so good?" Reno raised an eyebrow.

Elena blinked at him, "You lick windows?"

Reno shrugged and continued pouring her a glass of liquor, "Occasionally."

Elena shook her head, "You're weird."

"I wouldn't be any fun if I wasn't." Reno pressed the glass into her hands, "Don't spill. That's the good stuff."

Elena sniffed the contents of the glass carefully, "I shouldn't drink anything Reno, how will I get home if I do?"

"You didn't drive your car here, so how would you get home anyways?" Reno humphed, pouring himself a well-portioned glass of the amber liquid.

Elena sighed and conceded, "Call Rude I guess." She took a small sip of the liquid and her eyes began to water as she coughed violently.

Reno downed his glass in one gulp, "Good stuff eh?"

"That depends." Elena wiped her eyes and set the glass down.

Reno snatched the glass off the counter, "Don't put that there! Trevor'll get into it!"

"Trevor?" A delicate eyebrow was suddenly lost under golden hair.

"My iguana!" Reno rolled his eyes, "The entire reason for the kissy-stealy, remember? I'll go get him!" He shoved the glass into Elena's hands and ran off, leaving her gaping and confused behind him. He returned a short while later with an ill-tempered iguana writhing about in his arms. He chastised the beast, "Be nice Trevor! This is Laney."

Elena backed away from the obviously angry lizard, "Reno, you probably should put it down, he looks like he's gonna bite you!"

Reno laughed, "He's bitten me so many times it doesn't hurt anymore. Isn't that right Trevor?" He began to nuzzle and coddle the writhing animal, "That's right you stupid bastard! It doesn't hurt daddy when you bite him anymore does it?"

Elena stared in disbelief as the iguana latched its toothless mouth onto Reno's ear. She gasped as Reno tugged his ear out of the iguanas mouth without so much as a whimper, "That doesn't hurt?"

Reno beamed and stroked the iguana lovingly, "Nope! It's just a little pinch. Wanna pet him?" He held the iguana at arms length and it stopped struggling.

Elena stared at the iguana fearfully as it eyed her, "I don't think it likes me."

Reno walked forward, "His name is _Trevor_, not _it_."

"Okay, _Trevor_ doesn't like me." Elena backed away.

"You've got booze on hand, Trevor is your best friend." Reno shoved the iguana into Elena's arms.

Elena squeaked in fear as the iguana latched onto her arms and immediately began lapping up the alcohol in her glass, "Your iguana is a drunk?"

"Yup. He's only cranky 'cause of withdrawal symptoms." Reno pet the iguana happily as it sat content in Elena's arms.

"How the hell does an iguana become a raging alcoholic?" Elena asked, incredulous.

Reno shrugged, the strong liquor he had managed to drink making his back hurt less, "I got drunk and thought he could join me. Next morning I've got a hung-over iguana and I gave him the only cure I know; more booze."

"So now you're both alcoholics?" Elena began to relax as the iguana continued to drink peacefully.

Reno frowned, "I'm not an alcoholic! Just 'cause I like booze doesn't mean I'm an alcoholic. Now Trevor, he's an alcoholic. If I didn't keep all my booze out of his reach I'd come home and find him dead from alcohol poisoning."

"Poor little guy. Do they have AA for iguanas?" Elena sniggered as the iguana finished the glass of alcohol.

"Nope, I'm trying my best to wean him off though." Reno pulled the glass out of Elena's hand and away from the desperately slurping iguana. The iguana began to struggle and Reno tapped it on the nose sternly, "You bite Elena and you're not gettin' any booze for a week, got it?"

The iguana stopped squirming and Elena couldn't help the awe-filled gasp that passed her lips, "He understood that?"

Reno sniggered, "He just knows that when I say 'booze' he's probably gonna get some."

Elena frowned and tentatively pet the iguana that was in her arms, "Will he bite me?"

Reno shrugged, "Probably, but only if he doesn't get any booze. You should probably put him down actually. He tends to pee after his first drink." Elena quickly set the iguana on the floor. She watched as it walked towards Reno, nipping at his ankles to show its impatience. Reno rolled his eyes and grabbed two bowls out of his cupboard, "Yeah yeah I know, you want booze and food. Chill out Trevor."

Elena giggled in spite of herself, watching as the iguana continued to bite Reno's ankles. "That really doesn't hurt?"

Reno shook his head as he filled one bowl with alcohol, "Nope. He's been biting me for a year now, I'm pretty used to it." He set the bowl in front of the iguana and snorted as he began lapping it up, "Take it easy there Trev, you ain't getting anything but water after that."

"What's the other bowl for?" Elena asked as Reno opened his fridge.

"I gotta feed him." Reno pulled out a large squash and a huge bag filled with vegetables, "Wanna help?"

Elena shrugged, "Sure. What do you need me to do?"

Reno handed her the squash, "Cut that open, knives are in the third drawer under the table."

Elena found a knife and began cutting open the squash while Reno set to work on the other vegetables. "So what all does he eat?"

Reno started picking up the vegetables and preparing them for his beloved iguana, "The squash is good for him 'cause it's got lotsa fiber, he can't eat the outside though. He really likes bell peppers, especially the red ones. He really likes flowers for some reason too. I got a bunch one time 'cause a secretary gave 'em to me after I got outta the hospital and I didn't wanna throw 'em away and he chowed on them. He likes grapes too. Pull out all the inside seed stuff Laney, he can't eat that. Just chop up some of that stuff in the middle." Elena worked quickly to follow his orders, "He likes mangos but I think they're nasty. He eats flies and stuff though so I don't really think he knows what good tasting stuff is. I feed him parsnips a lot but he doesn't like 'em so I have to put in other stuff with 'em like papayas and peaches. He _always_ steals my strawberries when I buy 'em so I know he likes those. Neither of us likes tomatoes though, they're kinda nasty by themselves. I don't mind when they're mixed with other stuff, but he won't touch tomatoes ever. The lady I bought him from told me to use lots of different colors in his food so I try to do that. Then I figure out which food he likes and use that. I'm still playing with just what I should feed him." Reno put all the food he had prepared in the bowl and watched Elena struggle to prepare the squash, "Jeez Laney it's just a squash."

Elena growled, "I've never messed with one of these things before!"

Reno snickered and grabbed the squash from her, "He's biting me again so he's probably done with that booze, wanna give him some water?"

Elena nodded and picked up the bowl, filling it to the brim with water before setting it down beside the moody iguana, "There you go Trevor." The iguana snapped at her fingers before drinking the clear liquid,

Reno scowled and nudged the beast with his foot, "Be good Trevor, remember what I told you about biting her?" He set the bowl of food beside the animal and put his supplies away, "We better back off while he eats okay? He's weird about eating while people watch him. He's okay with me, but if anyone else comes around he won't touch his food."

Elena nodded and followed Reno out of the room, "Feeling any better?"

Reno plopped himself onto his couch with a sigh and patted the cushion beside him, "Hell yeah."

Elena sat down and Reno turned on the TV, "That's good, you kinda had me worried for awhile."

Reno grinned and wrapped and arm around her shoulders, "Ya shouldn't worry about me Laney, you should be worried about the raging alcoholic in the next room. He bites people he likes."

Elena shivered under Reno's arm but didn't draw away, rather confused by her reaction, "Oh? So he bites you so much because he likes you? Is that it?"

Reno chuckled and began nibbling her ear, "He learned it from me."

Elena blushed but didn't move as Reno's teeth grazed down her neck, "You only bite people you like?"

Reno wrapped his other arm around her and turned her towards him so he could reach her better with his mouth, "Only the people I _really_ like."

Elena squeaked and arched as Reno's teeth dug into the side of her neck, "That hurt!"

"This make it any better?" Reno laughed, stroking the angry red mark with his tongue.

Elena nodded and gripped Reno's shoulders to steady herself as he started to press her into the couch. She felt her heartbeat quicken with her breaths, "Yeah."

Reno moaned happily as he felt her fingers dig into the tops of his shoulders. He latched his mouth onto hers and felt himself grow hard as she responded. He pressed her back into the couch and prayed to every god he had ever heard of that she wouldn't pull away from him.

Elena wrapped her arms around Reno tentatively, confused as to why she wasn't pulling away. She gently pressed her fingers into his back, drawing him closer without hurting him, her lips cautiously moving against his. She let instinct take over her actions and she arched into him, praying that he wouldn't pull away and laugh at her. She hoped with every fiber of her body that this wasn't just another head game.

Elena screamed as she felt something clamp painfully onto her arm. Reno jerked away from her and quickly pulled the iguana off of her, "Dammit Trevor!" A knock at the door startled them both and Reno tucked the iguana under his arm as he went to answer. Elena quickly adjusted her clothes as Rude was revealed in the doorway, "Rude?"

Rude took in the situation in milliseconds, Reno was scowling at him with an angry iguana under his arm and Elena had a scandalized look on her face as she rubbed her arm. Rude pushed his sunglasses up his nose, "Came to make sure Elena got home and that you were okay." The look Reno was giving him now let him know what an earful he would get the second Elena was not around.

Reno's eyes narrowed and his heart crashed to the floor, "Your ride's here Laney."

Elena walked past him as far away from the iguana as the small space would allow. She jumped as the iguana thrashed towards her and gave a breathy, "Goodnight Reno." Before Reno could respond she dashed down the hall and out of sight.

Rude regarded him solemnly, "What happened?"

Reno frowned at his still thrashing iguana, "_Trevor_ happened."

Rude sighed, "I told you getting an iguana was a bad idea."

Reno slammed the door shut with a sigh, "Night Rude."

Rude laughed, "Sleep tight Reno, better luck tomorrow."

Reno humphed and carried his now calm iguana to the kitchen, "Ya know what Trevor if I didn't love you so much I'd skewer you right now! Do you know how hard I worked for that? For once she was actually responding instead of running!" The iguana looked up at him balefully and Reno returned the glare, "If you messed everything up with that stupid stunt of yours I'm gonna sell ya ta that Wutain restaurant down the street and laugh while they cut ya up." He set the iguana on the floor where it nudged its water filled bowl in irritation. Reno ignored it and poured himself a fresh glass of alcohol, not even glancing at his feet as Trevor began snapping at his ankles, "Knock it off ya bastard! I told ya if you bit Laney there'd be no booze for a week. Ya brought it on yourself." The iguana looked up at him with bloodshot eyes. Reno growled and slopped some alcohol into the empty food bowl, "Manipulative little mini dragon." The iguana happily lapped up the booze. "After tonight no more booze for you for a month, ya got that?" The iguana ignored him and continued drinking. Reno ran a hand over his face, "Why the hell can't I be normal and have a dog? Dogs are chick magnets!" The iguana continued to ignore him and Reno laughed, "Yeah, I know Trev, how the hell can something that slobbery get so many chicks?" The iguana finished the alcohol and stared at him. Reno sighed and poured his glass into the bowl, "You're lucky I like you so much Trev, otherwise you'd be lucky to get anything at all after what you pulled today. Why the hell did I even wake you up and bring you out here?" The iguana turned its back on him as it drank, Reno snorted, "Sure, I was running out of ideas on how to keep her from asking about the mission but why the hell did I bring you out? What the hell kind of conversation starter is that? 'This is my overgrown boozehound of a lizard! Here Laney help me feed the little asshole!' Good Gaia what was I thinking?" Reno sighed and tossed his glass in the sink. "I must be the worlds biggest idiot." He shoved the bottle of liquor back in the cabinet and patted the iguana on the back, "Don't stay up too late Trevor." He pulled his fingers away before the lizard could snap at them and threw himself onto his couch face first. After a few minutes of laying with his head buried in the cushions he heard the small pattering of iguana feet and smiled as a familiar weight rested on his back, "This is how I know ya love me Trev, a few loving nips on the ears and then ya sleep with me." As if by self-fulfilling prophecy each of his ears received a bite and claws dug into his bruised back as the iguana readied itself for bed. Reno sighed and fell asleep without even bothering to turn off the lights or the television, the light and noise shut out by the couch cushions his face was buried in.

**

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Author's Note: So close! Damn you Trevor the Iguana!!!**

**Heehee, you like? R&R!!!**


	14. Chapter 14

Reno skipped into the office with a happy smile, his day already going well. Trevor hadn't peed on him while he slept and hadn't begged for booze the second Reno woke up. He wasn't late and he'd had time to eat breakfast for the first time all week. With food in his stomach and an happy iguana at home Reno felt his day couldn't get much better. He quickly discovered how wrong he was when he stepped into the office. "Hey Laney, hey Rude!"

"Elena's not here." Rude glanced up from his paperwork.

Reno raised an eyebrow, "Where is she?"

"Its mission day and her shoes don't fit. Tseng's letting her prepare early. We get to leave early too but he wants us to at least pretend to get some work done." Rude looked back down at his work.

Reno slapped himself in the forehead, "Its mission day already? Holy hell Rude! I've barely looked over that mission report!"

"Better get to it. You've got five hours before you need to be ready." Rude snorted mockingly.

Reno sighed and picked up the mission report, "Gaia studying sucks."

"Its necessary." Rude flipped through his own mission report halfheartedly, "Just shut up and do it."

Reno sighed, "You're a real handful on mission days Rude." Rude ignored the jibe and Reno gave another heavy sigh as he began reading. He truly hated mission days, but the hair clip in his pocket made him slightly more excited.

* * *

"Rude how do I get this on?" Reno fumbled with his suit buttons.

"How did you get it on the first time?" Rude asked as he effortlessly donned his own suit.

"Laney did it." Reno pouted as his fingers fumbled over tiny buttons. He hadn't seen the blonde all day and he was starting to feel anxious.

Rude rolled his eyes, "Can't even get dressed by yourself?"

"Not when the buttons are the size of pinheads." Reno frowned as he finally slipped a button into its respective hole.

Rude sighed and straightened his suit before slapping Reno's hands out of the way to finish buttoning the suit up for him. "These buttons are no smaller than mine."

"They're slippery." Reno whined and rubbed a thumb across the clip in his pocket.

"Got your EMR?" Rude asked tiredly.

Reno rolled his eyes, he'd answered the question about twenty times already and Rude's check list was starting to piss him off, "I've got my EMR, a gun and extra ammunition, money, my cell, chewing gum, and if you ask me one more goddamned time I swear one of the above items is goin' up your ass yo."

Rude chuckled and handed Reno his tie, "I thought you were straight?"

"Much to your chagrin I'm guessing?" Reno sniggered and wrapped the tie around his neck.

"Hell no." Rude laughed, "Barret might be disappointed though."

"Barret?" Reno shivered, "What the hell are you doin' put nasty images like that in my head?"

Rude shrugged, "Made me laugh."

Reno rolled his eyes and knotted his tie, "Whatever yo. Think I look spiffy enough ta impress Laney?"

Rude raised an eyebrow, "You still need to impress her? I thought she already liked you."

"Doesn't hurt to impress though does it?" Reno smirked and straightened his tie, checking his appearance over in the mirror.

Rude snorted, "Guess not. Just don't forget the mission while you're busy _impressing."_

Reno grinned and hid his EMR inside his jacket next to his gun, "No worries there!"

Rude sighed and walked out of his apartment, Reno following along behind him, "We've been doing this for years and I still don't know how you manage to memorize things that fast."

"Talent." Reno sniggered and slid into Rude's car. "We goin' ta pick up Laney now?" He rubbed the clip in his pocket, excited and nervous to give the small item to her.

"She's already waiting for us with the president." Rude pulled out of the parking lot and began driving towards the Shinra building.

"She's with Rufus?" Reno started, "Thats not good yo!"

"Why not?" Rude raised an eyebrow.

"Because she barely knows Rufus and Rufus is a womanizing ass monkey thats why." Reno growled angrily. He didn't want Elena anywhere near Rufus. She was far too naive to understand Rufus' tactics.

"She's a big girl she can take care of herself." Rude smirked at Reno's angry denouncement of Rufus. He knew Reno would be protective of Elena, Reno had always been overprotective of her, even when he was teasing her. Reno held a double standard with Elena, he could mess with her, but if anyone else did their ass was grass.

Reno frowned, "She's never had to deal with him on her own though!"

"You should've thought of that before you decided we play hot potato with him." Rude pulled into the parking lot where a limo was waiting for them.

"Think she'll let me pull her off of Rufus duty?" Reno asked as he climbed out of the car.

"I think she'd slap you if you tried." Rude climbed out of the car and led the way to the limo.

"Who's going to slap him?" Reno whipped around as he heard Elena's voice behind him.

Reno gaped, unable to tear his eyes away from Elena's blushing face. The dress she was wearing was a shade of blue that made her glow and it showed just enough of that glowing skin to make Reno's imagination run wild. She had a white belt wrapped around her slim hips that had a gun holster attached to one side. All in all Reno was absolutely stunned, but more by her face than anything. The blue made the gentle blush that was creeping up her cheeks seem twice as radiant. He shook his head as if to clear it and reached into his pocket, his fingers brushing across the clip.

Rude snorted at Reno's lack of words, "No ones going to slap him. Where's Rufus?"

"He's already in the limo. I didn't want to wait with him so I made the excuse that I had left my gun in my car. He was so busy staring at my boobs he didn't realize I already had it in the holster." Elena shuddered visibly and Reno grinned in triumph.

"So Rufy is being a bit of a hound dog tonight?" Reno surreptitiously pulled the clip out of his pocket.

"Hopefully he won't stare the entire ride. I really don't want him looking at my boobs." Elena shuddered again.

Reno grinned lewdly, "Especially when your ass provides such a great view."

Elena blushed furiously, "And here I thought Rufus was bad. At least he didn't say anything!"

Reno sniggered, "You know ya love me for it Laney." He cleared his throat and looked at Rude.

Rude walked away, "I'll go check on Rufus."

Elena moved to follow and Reno gently grasped her arm, "Hold on Laney, I uh, I, um..."

Elena blushed at the gentle but firm grip Reno had on her arm. She giggled nervously, "You um what?"

Reno slipped the clip into her hand, "Got ya something." He kissed her on the cheek, blushed and walked away as fast as he could, suddenly embarrassed out of his mind.

Elena unclenched her hand and touched the clip, her mouth open in surprise as she gently touched her cheek. She had expected a lot of things from Reno, but a gift was not one of those things. She put the clip into her hair and ran after Reno, "Wait!" Reno stopped and turned just in time to catch Elena in a tight hug, "Was that a kissy-givy?"

Reno cleared his throat and gently patted her on the pack. "Dunno, did it work?"

Elena giggled and squeezed him tighter, "Yeah. It worked."

Reno beamed and guided her into the limo, "Hell yes!"

**

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Author's Note: Aww Laney Reno happiness again! **

**R&R?**


	15. Chapter 15

Elena shifted uncomfortably and tugged on her dress to try and hide as much of the flesh it exposed as she could from Rufus' prying eyes. There wasn't much showing, but the way he looked at her made her feel like a particularly juicy steak he wanted to chew on. She had sat herself beside Rude on instinct, glad that the limo was thin and really only had room for two people to sit on each side. She didn't like facing the back of the car, but it was better than sitting next to Rufus and facing the front.

The car was eerily quiet and Reno hated it. He fidgeted incessantly and tried to look at anything but the wondrous blonde nymph seated directly across from him. He tried not to imagine the fact that Rufus was mentally undressing his precious Laney, he knew that if he dwelled on the thought Rufus would end up strangled. He breathed deep through his nose and tried to clear his head, extremely distracted by the proud bubbly feeling he got everytime the light of a passing car or streetlamp glinted and danced on the silver clip settled neatly in Elena's hair.

Rude was uncomfortable. Elena was fidgeting next to him, Reno was fidgeting across from him, and Rufus was giving Elena a look that, if directed at him, would have him running with his hands clamped fast over his rear. He wondered if Elena had sat next to him on purpose, because if not it was rather smart of her. By sitting next to him she effectively put herself out of Rufus' reach and kept Reno from ripping the head off of the man they were supposed to protect. He felt a twitch in his eye as every single fidget of Elena's intensified Rufus' hungry gaze, one he knew that, if seen by Reno, would sign his death warrant. He really wished Reno had just let him to do all the guarding for the night, there was no way Elena would allow them to pull her off guard duty now that she was on it. He wanted to elbow her to make her sit still as Rufus' eyes drifted over her motions hungrily, and was ready to do so when he remembered that that technique only worked on Reno. Everyone else got offended, hurt, angry, or violent. He was pretty sure Elena would do all of the above and he would get a black eye and an angry Reno chewing his ear off with insults and accusations.

Rufus cleared his throat and broke the tense and insanely uncomfortable silence, "Who will be guarding me for the night?"

Reno turned to him and noticed for the first time just how hopefully he was looking at Elena, and he didn't like it one bit, "We're takin' it in shifts but when the time comes for us ta do what we need ta do Rude's gonna be watchin' ya."

Rufus frowned. Rude knew Rufus didn't like him and he didn't care one bit. He ignored the slight and watched Reno bristle as Rufus returned to staring lustfully at Elena. The night promised to be dramatic and possibly entertaining, he just hoped Elena wasn't as naive as Reno seemed to think.

They arrived at the building where the party was being held and exited the limo to the sound of clicking cameras and voices clamoring for Rufus' attention. Reno thought it was probably a good thing that no one gave a damn about the three people who were with him, it wasn't good for a Turk to be recognized. He gripped Elena by the elbow as they walked in, Rufus walking faster than all of them to get away from the annoying shutterbugs that flocked the entrance. He made sure to keep a firm but gentle grip on her as he followed Rude into the building, shoving annoying leeches with cameras out of the way as he watched his friends back disappear from view only to reappear moments later as the crowd parted and shifted in front of him.

Once they were inside the building it was easier to maneuver and Reno felt safe to let go of Elena's arm. It wasn't that he didn't like holding on to her, quite the opposite actually, he just knew she would get uncomfortable if he was too forward. He had a very delicate footing with Elena on the best of days and he had spent the past few days making sure he chipped apart those walls she had surrounding her, piece by stubborn piece. He had made tremendous progress, but the night before had probably ruined everything. He really hated that damned iguana.

He turned to Rude and gave him a pointed look as Rufus was surrounded by sycophants that wanted some kind of recognition from the powerful and aloof president of the most successful company in the world. It was rather ironic that even though the Shinra Electric Company had been the cause of every major crisis the world had faced since Jenova fell from the skies it had also managed to remain the power of the world that everyone depended on for daily life. Every business man and bureaucrat that entered the room was filled with a desperate longing to be Rufus Shinra and all of them paid him for protection, energy, and any other miniscule charge Rufus could think up to gain an advantage or money.

Rude returned Reno's look with a stoic glance that let him know he understood what the red-head wanted. He followed Rufus through the crowd of suck-ups and brown-nosers with a small sigh. Rufus obviously hated him but he didn't care. Rude was probably the only person within spitting distance of Rufus that didn't lick the bottom of his shoes and call them candy. He caught Rufus looking towards the spot where Reno and Elena had vanished and positioned himself in the way of his view. He didn't want to see at lust filled eyes all night and he was fairly sure Elena would thank him for any form of interference.

Reno gently guided Elena across the mildly crowded room and grabbed two drinks from a table filled with them. He pressed one into her hands with a smile and pulled a chair out for her at an empty table, grinning happily as she sat down with a blush. It wasn't often that he was chivalrous, in fact he was fairly sure he had never pulled a chair out for anyone in his life, but he was beside himself with joy when Elena sat down. He sat next to her, trying to contain the characteristic hyperactivity that the joy threatened to shove to the surface. "You alright there Laney? You seemed ridiculous nervous in the car."

Elena immediately tried to adjust her dress, "The way Rufus was looking at me made me feel like a piece of meat."

Reno smiled and touched her shoulder reassuringly, "You look beautiful Laney. Beautiful like a well-cooked steak, how can anyone look away?"

Elena turned an even deeper shade of red and giggled as Reno beamed at her. She decided to ignore the comment about her looking like a steak and ignored his question, deciding that it was purely rhetorical and shouldn't be answered. She knew he would get enough answer from the pesky blush she had crawling over her face. She cleared her throat and switched topics, "You nervous?"

Reno snorted, "Course not! We do stuff like this all the time 'member?"

"But you're hurt this time." Elena glanced at his arm and back accusingly, daring him to deny that he was in any pain.

Reno sniggered loudly, "Ever heard of pain killers Laney? I'm good ta go!"

Elena giggled as a few heads turned their way at Reno's outburst, "Shush!"

Reno leaned close to her and smirked a challenge, "Make me."

Elena blushed and leaned towards him, silently accepting his challenge, "How?"

Reno gripped her chin tilted her face so that his lips hovered just over hers, "Dance with me?"

**

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Author's Note: Yay mission time & dancing! Ew....pervert Rufus...... bleck!**

**R&R!!!**


	16. Chapter 16

Elena's breath caught and she barely had time to register what Reno had asked her before her mouth spouted an enthusiastic answer, "Sure!"

Reno smirked and released her chin, instead gripping her arms and pulling her to her feet. She stumbled behind him, a little shocked by the idea of dancing with him. She was sure her toes would hate her later. While Reno was graceful when he wanted to be, she was pretty sure he had never danced in his life. At least not in the way that was proper and expected at a fancy party attended by some of the most powerful people in all of Gaia. She was pleasantly surprised when Reno lead her around the dance floor without once treading on her feet. She was even more surprised to notice that his hands didn't wander like she had feared they would. She stared pointedly over his shoulder as he guided her around the floor, knowing that if she looked at his face she would blush and trip over her own feet. After a few minutes of silence she relaxed into his arms and glided along just as easily as he did, completely nonplussed by his ability to dance. "Reno?"

Reno tripped a little as she spoke and swore. "Sorry Laney."

Elena giggled as they recovered from the unexpected stumble, "You were doing so well a second ago!"

Reno blushed and Elena couldn't stop another giggle from bursting forth, causing him to go an even deeper shade of red. "So I'm not totally screwin' this whole dancin' thing up?"

Elena grinned as they got back in step and resumed turning gracefully around the room, "No, you're not screwing anything up. Where did you learn to dance?"

Reno gave her a shy smile, "Took some lessons."

"Really? I never would've guessed." Elena smirked and moved a little closer. "Why did you take lessons?"

"Didn't want ta kill your feet." Reno sniggered and turned her about the room with a little more confidence now that he knew he wasn't embarrassing the shit out of himself. Ever since he had started taking lessons with the lump of a woman who charged high prices and smoked more than she taught he had been worried that he would fail. It wasn't that he hadn't learned the steps, he knew them by heart. It was his fear that Elena would be disappointed with the few dances he knew that made him struggle not to stumble over his own feet. He had to force his very distracted mind onto the task at hand, trying to forget that he had a gorgeous woman blushing in his arms. So long as he pretended that Elena wasn't there he could dance fine. If he acknowledged the fact that she had actually agreed to dance with him and seemed happy about it his feet would flail and they would both fall.

"So you were one hundred percent sure that I would dance with you?" Elena smirked as Reno paled and cleared his throat.

"Eh, its not that I didn't think you wouldn't say no but I had ta be prepared if ya said yes didn't I?" Reno looked over her shoulder as he stammered, his face slightly flushed from embarrassment.

"That's true." Elena giggled, completely loving the fact that she was making Reno, super tough very masculine Reno, flustered.

Reno looked down at her and smiled happily, glad that he had managed to keep from sounding like a fool. His tongue felt rather stiff from all the time he had spent biting it to keep his concentration and it was a marvel that he could use it to make words. He stiffened as he felt a tap on his shoulder and frowned as Rude separated him from Elena. "Your turn."

Reno reluctantly let Elena go and slunk off to Rufus' side with a dejected pout. The idea of switching shifts with Rufus had sounded fun and fair when he had made it, now he was considering shooting himself for being so stupid. He could have spent the entire night with Elena and swept her off her feet before the mission started and now he had to compete with Rufus and Rude for her time. He knew Rude wouldn't dare make any moves on Elena, but he knew Rufus wouldn't restrain himself. He stood sullenly to the side of Rufus' conversation, watching the minute hand tick around the large ornate clock dangling from a wall across the room. He considered leaving Elena in Rude's hands until he had finished both her shift with Rufus and his, but he was fairly sure Elena would hate him if he did. She was very particular about being allowed to work just as hard and oftentimes harder than he and Rude and he knew that if he tried to protect her from anything in anyway when she was perfectly capable of handling herself she would probably backhand him. He had enough bruises and he didn't need anymore.

He groaned aloud when the minute hand ground to a halt beside the roman numeral twelve on the large clock whose design he was all too familiar with. Rufus raised an eyebrow at him and he ignored the questioning look, instead turning his feet towards the table where Rude and Elena had been sitting since he had left them. He adored the fact that his best friend couldn't dance, it left Elena time to rest her feet and kept him from feeling any maliciousness towards the bald man. Lately anyone who so much as looked at Elena was bound to feel his wrath. He sat down next to her with a heavy sigh, "Your turn."

Elena smiled at him and patted him on the shoulder as she rose to leave, "Is he being difficult?" Reno wished desperately that he could keep her hand on his shoulder forever.

"Nah, just bein' borin' old Rufus." Reno sighed as he watched her walk away, a mixture of longing and anger painted on his face as he watched Rufus greet her with more enthusiasm than was allowed.

Rude chuckled and nudged him in the ribs, "You look like a kid who had his lollipop taken away."

"Laney's better than a lollipop." Reno pouted and ran a hand through his hair.

Rude smiled piteously and patted Reno on the shoulder, "Need a drink?"

"If I have ta watch him parade her around the room I'm gonna need more than one." Reno sighed and slumped his head onto his arms.

"Sorry, you've got a limit tonight remember? Tseng has a three drink max for you." Rude grabbed two glasses from the tray a passing waiter offered towards him. He shoved both in front of Reno. "I don't know what these are but alcohol is alcohol."

Reno shot up, "Blasphemy! Alcohol is most definitely not alcohol! All alcohol is different and I shall slap the man who dares to disagree!" Reno grabbed one of the glasses in front of him with a playful smirk and downed it quickly.

Rude chuckled and sipped carefully at his own drink. "Make that next one last red."

Reno rolled his eyes and sipped at his next drink, "Better?"

"Much." Rude glanced cautiously at Elena and Rufus, noting where the man was placing his hands as he lead her onto the dance floor. For now Rufus' intentions seemed innocent enough, but Rude would monitor them carefully while he tried to distract Reno.

Reno sighed and ran his finger around the edge of the glass, "Rude, do ya think she likes me?"

"Why wouldn't she?" Rufus was still acting like a perfect gentleman but Rude could tell even from this distance that his eyes betrayed his true desires.

"Dunno what I've got ta offer her." Reno gave another depressed sigh as a loud high pitched hum emanated from his glass. He beamed as the sound reached his ears and he continued to draw his finger around the rim.

Rude grimaced but chuckled in spite of himself. Making torturously annoying noises made Reno feel better so he wouldn't stop him. "You've got a lot more to offer than you think. How many people have alcoholic iguanas? That's unique."

Reno snorted, "I'm starting to hate that stupid frickin' iguana. It ruined a perfect moment. Not that the moment would have lasted long anyways, you were pounding down the door about two seconds later."

"Sorry, had to make sure you were alright." Rude took his sunglasses off and made a show of polishing them off as he averted his eyes from the hand that was wrapping around Elena's waist.

Reno sighed and rested his head on his arms so that he was facing Rude. "He's dancing with her isn't he?" Rude nodded regretfully and Reno squeezed his eyes shut with a sharp inhale. "Wanna pass me your gun so I can go shoot him?" Rude shook his head and Reno regarded him through one partially opened eye. "How about a knife?" Rude shook his head again and Reno's frown became a mischievous grin. "A fork?" Rude didn't even bother shaking his head, instead placing his glasses back on his face silently. Reno chewed his lower lip thoughtfully. "How about a spoon?"

A passing waiter cleared his throat, "You need a spoon sir?" Reno looked up and Rude quickly shook his head at the waiter. The waiter failed to notice. "I can get you one if you would like sir."

Reno opened his mouth and Rude slapped a hand over it, turning his eyes towards the clueless waiter. "Unless you want eyeballs flying all over the place I suggest you keep your spoons out of his hands."

The waiter blanched and quickly walked away. Reno bit the hand that covered his mouth and Rude quickly pulled it away with a quiet ow.

**

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Author's Note: Never give a Turk a spoon.**

**Ever. **


	17. Chapter 17

Elena didn't like the hand that clenched around her own, the arm that held her far too close, or the voice that liked to hear itself speak but at this moment it was her feet that hated Rufus the most, her toes cramping with discomfort as Rufus led her gracelessly around the room and trod on her feet without seeming to notice or care as his eyes were too busy examining her bust to catch the heated glare she was giving him. She had agreed to the dance simply to get away from the wretchedly boring conversation being held by the haughty company Rufus kept, but now she wished that she could have denied his request and continued listening to the finer points of urban development. She silently prayed as she half-listened to Rufus' self-exalting words, hoping that Reno or Rude would save her from the uncomfortably oblivious man parading her around the room. She glanced at the clock over Rufus' shoulder every time the dance allowed her a glimpse of it and nearly groaned with frustration as time seemed to slow down despite her best efforts to hurry it along.

Rufus' pompous manners were not endearing, interesting, or even enjoyable. Elena was fairly sure that she could have died from the bored stupor his words were putting her under and he would parade around the room with her lying dead in his arms and still boast about his accomplishments. She actually would have preferred being an unknowing carcass to being a living breathing and very bored person. She caught a few glimpses of Reno and Rude, sitting at a table across the room and talking. She wished more than anything that she had not allowed Reno to put his 'hot-potato' plan into action, the entire night would have been more fun if she didn't have to share him with Rufus and Rude.

Elena blushed slightly at how possessive of Reno she was getting but the color quickly faded from her cheeks as Rufus misinterpreted her thoughts. He curled his arm around her waist a little tighter and drew her closer, her toes now protesting as loud as any toes could as the closeness brought his feet down on hers. Rufus grinned down at her, still oblivious to the discomfort she was feeling. She shuddered as he bent his head down towards her and whispered in her ear. "Are you alright Elena? You seem rather flustered."

She felt the hairs stand up on the back of her neck as his breath tickled her ear and she shook her head. "I'm fine sir."

Rufus chuckled. "You're distracted. You haven't said one word even though I've stepped on your toes more often than is polite and asked you about fifteen questions."

Elena felt herself color with embarrassment. "I'm sorry sir, but we do have an alternative motive for coming to this party, remember?"

Rufus pulled away from her ear and smirked. "It's more than that isn't it?"

Elena frowned as Rufus stared down at her. "What are you saying sir?"

Rufus sneered as he continued to lead her around the dance floor, his feet sparing her toes discomfort as he stopped purposefully stomping on them. "Only that I've been trying to get you to admit how uncomfortable you are in my presence all night. I've been everything but a gentleman yet you still won't comment. You're acting like a sycophant when the last time you were around me you made very clear just how little you care for my company. Who are you trying to impress?"

"Obviously not you." Elena narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not trying to impress anyone, I'm distracted."

Rufus glanced over her shoulder with an evil smirk. "I think the source of your distractions is coming to rescue you from this ridiculously uncomfortable dance."

Elena raised an eyebrow and looked over her shoulder to see Reno and Rude making their way across the dance floor. She sighed happily and removed herself from Rufus' grasp, allowing Rude to guide him to the side of the room as she was guided off of the dance floor by Reno. She was giddy with relief as Reno pulled her towards his table. "Is it time already?"

Reno frowned as he pulled a chair out for her. "Why? Were you enjoying yourself?"

Elena raised an eyebrow at the hostile tone his voice had taken. "Of course not! My toes have never hated me more!"

Reno's mood perked up immediately. "Did you offend him? He seemed kinda pissed."

"Who doesn't offend him?" Elena giggled and rested her chin on her hand. "Is it time to start the mission yet? I really want to get out of this party."

"The Special Op. guys are puttin' explosives under the desert table as we speak." Reno sniggered and gestured discretely towards the table behind them where a few waiters were loitering. "They've already set up everythin' else needed ta create mass panic and once they finish up here we're good ta go."

"Thank Gaia!" Elena sighed with relief and stood. "Should we take up our position then?"

Reno took her hand and led her towards the narrow flight of stairs he knew was hidden behind the clock. "Sounds good ta me!" He winked at the waiters as he left and smirked as their comrade crawled out from under the table, a small detonator in hand. Reno and Elena made it to their destination right as the clock chimed nine and the Special Operations team that had been placing explosives and gas containers all night detonated everything at once. Reno and Elena ducked up the hidden stair case as pieces of desert tables, wine glasses, and fancy under-portioned food flew everywhere and multicolored gasses spread through the air. The guests at the party shrieked in terror and there was a mad scramble as they all tried to be the first out of the door, Rufus and Rude among them.

Reno grinned and lead the way up the flight of stairs as screams echoed behind them, some of the harmless gas flowing into their secret passage. Elena followed him, skirt bunched up in one hand and her gun drawn and ready in the other. Reno held his sparking EMR at arms length in front of him as they barreled up the stairs, the flickering light from the electrified metal rod lighting their path.

Once they reached the first landing Reno pulled his gun. He peaked out of their tiny stariwell and quickly shot both cameras and guards keeping watch over the spacious file room that held the information they needed to retrieve. Reno was a little unnerved by the lack of extra guards but he didn't dwell on the thought for too long as he led the way down the hall. He kicked the guards out of the way of the door and let Elena begin disabling the lock as he reloaded his gun. Elena wasn't the best shot in the Turks or even a very good fighter, but she could disable a lock faster than Reno could load his gun and she never set off alarms.

Reno had just finished putting the last bullet in his gun when he heard the tell-tale click that let him know Elena had finished unlocking the door. She pushed it open and he followed her inside, turning around and shooting the guard that was making his way up the hall. "We gotta hurry Laney, they're gonna be floodin' this room with guards soon!"

"I know I know!" Elena hissed as she began digging through files, cutting her thumb on one slightly in the process. She slipped the digit into her mouth and sucked on it as she continued to sift through files. "Shit! I got blood on one!"

Reno snorted and continued to peer out the door, waiting for guards to come. He knew the file room was of top priority to the owner of the building and was sure that the guards would be sent to secure it before any other room. He talked over his shoulder as he watched the hall carefully. "Don't worry about it Laney, its not like there's any link between our blood and us anymore."

"What do you mean?" Elena popped her thumb out of her mouth and continued searching. She knew exactly what file she had to find, but the sheer number of files locked away in the room was daunting.

Reno shot a pair of guards running up the hall before he spoke. "Shinra mismatches our DNA Laney. Every drop of blood in my body is placed under the name of someone who doesn't exist, same for you. If they do DNA testing on anything we leave behind they'll be lead down a cold trail as they try to find us."

Elena beamed with triumph as she pulled the file they needed out of the desk. "Found it!" Reno tossed her a lighter and she looked at him curiously.

"Burn it so we can get the hell out of here!" Reno hissed as he fired on a new set of guards rushed towards the door. They were quickly followed by another group of guards and Reno slammed the door shut and locked it as they fired on him, their bullets denting the heavy metal door. He heard Elena fumble with the lighter behind him and pulled it from her hand quickly. "We haven't got time ta fiddle with this Laney they'll get that door unlocked again any second!" He flicked the lighter on and set the file ablaze, throwing it onto the drawer full of paper it had come from. He ducked and pulled Elena down with him as a bullet made it through the door and it began to rattle on its hinges. "There's no way we're goin' out the way we came in."

"How the hell are we getting out then?" Elena whispered fearfully as a few more bullets made their way through the door.

Reno quickly scanned the room and pulled Elena towards the far wall. "You're gonna hate me for this Laney, but its our only option." Reno shot the large window twice and kicked the cracked glass out of its frame as Elena looked at him in terror.

"You're not serious are you?" Elena whimpered as Reno grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the two story drop.

"Afraid so." Reno wrapped Elena in his arms and launched them from the window, positioning himself beneath her as they fell. Elena's scream mingled with the rushing wind that tore past his ears and he tried to shut it out, concentrating on a landing they could both live through.

Elena screamed in pure terror, her heart beating at a pace that made her feel like her chest was going to explode as she watched the ground rush up to meet them from over Reno's shoulder. She buried her head in his shirt as the ground loomed close and didn't stop screaming until the impact jarred both their bodies.

Reno landed on his back and nearly blacked out from the pain as their momentum carried them down the large hill the building was built on top of. They rolled, Reno and Elena landing on each other repeatedly as their limbs tangled and their clothes tore. Reno's head swam with pain and dizziness when they finally stopped, crashing into a tree near the edge of the property. Reno quickly tried to get up but Elena's weight on top of him and the extreme pain in his back and arm prevented him from moving. He let his head settle back on his shoulders as he waited for the pain to subside, glancing at his already injured arm to make sure Tifa's stitches had held. He sighed as he found it safe and sound, albeit throbbing and in pain, and then turned his attention back to Elena. He quickly noticed that Elena hadn't moved since they stopped.

Reno checked her pulse, sighing with relief when he felt the steady beat of her heart under his fingers. He gently rolled her off of him and breathed deeply as the removal of her extra weight allowed his lungs extra room to inflate. He propped himself up on one elbow, vertigo and pain making him sick as he watched smoke pour out of the window he had just thrown them from. He was fairly sure none of his bones were broken, but his bruised back was berating him for his stupidity.

He quickly stood and gathered Elena's limp form in his arms, noticing a large purpling bruise on her forehead where she had hit the tree. He carried her quietly into the woods behind the large building and set her down once he was sure they were out of sight. He gently tried to wake her, shaking her shoulders and opening her eyes as he watched her breathe deeply, completely oblivious to his actions. When his attempts to wake her failed he began checking her over for injuries, relieved when he only found bruises and small cuts.

Reno jumped when he heard voices begin to echo through the woods and he quickly slung Elena over his shoulders with a small pained gasp. He walked as fast as he could with all the extra weight of Elena and his injuries weighing him down, not knowing which way he was supposed to go to meet Rude and Rufus in the getaway car. He wandered away from the gruff voices rushing after him, knowing that he wasn't being nearly as quiet as he should be. He soon tired, his breath coming in shorter and shorter gasps as his throbbing back made him grit his teeth.

Reno took a knee as the pain in his back became nearly unbearable. He swore as the gruff angry voices of several guards he hadn't managed to shoot drew closer. He looked around, hoping some means of a quick escape would drop into his lap. Seeing no delivering angel or convenient hole in the ground he could drop into he stood up and found a tall branching tree. He climbed the tree as quickly and quietly as he could with Elena's extra weight slung over his shoulders. He got as high as he could and set Elena against the trunk of the tree, shielding her still sparkling torn blue dress from the light of the flashlights below with his suit. He rested his forehead against the tree as the guards passed below them, his tired body struggling to keep them both upright.

Elena shifted against him and murmured slightly. Reno pressed a hand over her mouth and winced as she panicked and bit him. He gritted his teeth to keep from crying out as she tore his skin and he whispered to try and calm her down. "Laney please stop biting me!"

Elena quickly released his hand and whispered back, panic coloring her voice. "Why are we in a tree?"

"Hidin'." Reno rested his head back on the tree, weariness and pain making his head spin. He looked down from his position in the tree and watched the guards pass harmlessly beneath them, their flashlights focused on the ground. He was glad they were too stupid to look up.

Elena clutched the front of his suit and clenched her legs tight around the tree as she felt him sway gently. "Are you alright?"

Reno groaned in pain before he had a chance to answer, knowing the sound told her more about his pain that he wanted her to know. "'M fine Laney."

Elena pushed him upright and looked him over. "You're lying. You're hurt aren't you?"

Reno chuckled and held his hand against the tree to steady himself as his head swam. "No shit I'm hurt Laney. We both landed on my back and I think I hit my head on somethin'. I know you're in just as bad a shape as I am so I'm not complainin'."

Elena frowned and steadied Reno's head in her hand, forcing his swimming blue eyes to look at her. "You're worse off than me."

Reno chuckled and peered into her worried brown eyes, nuzzling into her hand as he swayed. "Are we havin' a who's more hurt contest Laney?"

Elena frowned and brushed Reno's bangs out of his face. "You win if we are."

Reno snickered and ran his free hand through Elena's hair. "That nice big bruise on your forehead says different."

Elena humphed and absentmindedly ran her thumb over Reno's tattoos as she watched his eyes focus. "I can still see straight."

"Me too." Reno grinned and swayed a little as he pulled his hand off of the tree to sit up as straight as his aching back would allow. "Wanna get the hell outta this tree?"

Elena nodded and pulled her hands from Reno's face to grab the branch closest to her so she could begin climbing down. She made it to the bottom while Reno was still clambering off of the first branch, his movements uncoordinated and somewhat jerky. "How the hell did you get into the tree in the first place?"

"Wasn't this dizzy when I started climbin'." Reno reached for a branch with his foot and slipped, falling to the ground after flopping like a rag-doll between branches. Elena rushed to his side as he lay on the forest floor, his head swimming even more after its repeated contact with several branches. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing the world to stop spinning past him.

Elena sighed with relief and pressed a quick kiss to his forehead when she saw his eyes open. "If you ever, _ever_, do that again I'll punch you in the nose."

Reno smirked up at her. "If it gets you to kiss me again I'll fall off about three more trees."

Elena blushed and pulled him to his feet where he swayed onto her shoulder. She began walking him into the woods without any idea where they should be going. "Do you know where we are Reno?"

"Nope. There's lots of trees though." Reno sniggered and leaned heavily on Elena as they fumbled through the forest.

"Do you have your cell phone?" When Reno didn't answer she snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. "Reno! Do you have your cell phone?" Reno snapped back to reality as her fingers flicked in front of his face and he nodded feebly. Elena sighed and began digging through his jacket for his cell phone, her fingers wrapping around several seemingly random items before finally closing around the small device. She flicked it open and punched in a number before pressing it to her ear. She counted the rings impatiently as she continued to wander forward with Reno. She sighed with relief when the receiver on the other end picked up. "Rude?"

"_Elena? Where's Reno?_" Rude's voice was curt and clipped, worry making it through his gruff tone.

"He's with me but he's not exactly okay. He hit his head falling out of a tree." Elena knew there would be many questions about why they were a tree but she headed them off before they could begin. "We're in the woods right now and you need to come find us before someone else does. The mission was a success but we're in a bit of a spot right now."

_"Understood. Stay in one spot if at all possible and I'll come find you."_ Rude clicked the phone off and Elena sighed as she set the phone back in Reno's pocket.

"Rude's coming alright Reno?" Elena snapped her fingers in front of Reno's face to regain his attention as he stumbled mindlessly forward, dragging her along behind him. "We need to find a spot to sit and wait for a while okay?"

Reno nodded and pulled Elena after him, walking with fumbling purpose towards a large tree. He sat down with a thud and pulled her down with him, setting her down beside him. He leaned his head against the tree and wrapped one arm around Elena's shoulders, his mind still focused on keeping her safe even as it tripped from one subject to the next haphazardly. He felt her shift slightly and adjusted his grip to keep her close, determined to keep her pressed against his side as his eyes started to flicker shut.

**

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Author's Note: Man this was a long chapter wasn't it? It kind of counts as two chapters. ;) You're welcome.**

**I blame the fact that I was listening to Frank Sinatra, blame my bestest buddy Savannah!**


	18. Chapter 18

Elena blushed slightly as Reno shifted her closer to him. She had been snapping her fingers in front of his face every few minutes, making sure he was awake. If he had head trauma, which his lack of focus suggested, he couldn't be allowed to fall asleep. He might never wake up if he did and that thought scared Elena so terribly that she shivered from it. She was also cold, but if she thought about how cold she was it would only worsen the numbing sensation spreading into her fingers and toes. The side of her that was tucked firmly against Reno's side was comfortably warm which only made the rest of her feel colder. She felt his hand on her shoulder like it was burning, his fingers heating her bare frigid flesh by large degrees as he absentmindedly stroked them up and down her arm. Elena wasn't sure just how aware of his surroundings Reno was but she felt fairly sure that the fingers trailing across her shoulder and down her arm weren't completely without direction.

"You still with me Reno?" She shivered as his fingers brushed over her arm and she snapped her fingers in his face again.

Reno grabbed her wrist as it passed in front of his face. "I'm awake Laney stop doing that!" He kept his eyes closed and didn't look at her as he held her hand in front of him.

Elena frowned and tried to pull her hand away, but Reno wouldn't let go. "I have to make sure you're still awake! You hit your head and you could have a concussion!"

"Which is why I'm not gonna fall asleep. I ain't stupid Laney." Reno huffed and turned his face towards Elena, his eyes focusing with a little effort. He was touched by Elena's concern for him, but he wasn't worried about himself. "You should be more worried about the fact that you've got more goosebumps on you than a goose!"

"Did that make any sense in your head or are you just spouting nonsense?" Elena raised an eyebrow as she tried to wrap her thoughts around what Reno had just said. She was fairly sure he was trying to tell her how cold she seemed, but she knew that not all of the goosebumps on her were from the cold.

"Made sense in my head." Reno sniggered and continued to run his fingers across Elena's arm. "You're cold as hell."

"Isn't hell supposed to be hot?" Elena snorted derisively as she shivered from more than cold, noticing with a blush that Reno still hadn't released her hand. She pulled it to her but only succeeded in drawing Reno closer. "Why won't you let go?"

"Don't want to." Reno pressed her fingers to his lips, gently kissing the backs of them. He smirked as he felt her shiver against him and he nuzzled his face against her hand. "You're not shivering because you're cold, are you?"

Elena blushed and quickly stammered out an excuse to try and save herself embarrassment. "Yes I am!"

Reno released her hand with a cocky smile and peeled his ruined jacket off his shoulders. He was fairly sure Tseng would be pissed about the ruined suit, he had specifically told them that everything was to be returned in mint condition, but he didn't care. If Tseng wanted to get pissed at him for a dirty suit he wouldn't stop him. He swayed a little as he spread his jacket over Elena's shivering shoulders and pulled her back to his side. "Any better?"

Elena blushed and wrapped his jacket around her shoulders, ignoring the press of bullets and his EMR against her side. She felt his hand retrace its path up and down her arm, never deviating or going off course. She shivered and buried her head in his jacket, somewhat reluctantly enjoying the warmth it gave her. "Yeah, its better."

They heard the tell-tale crunching of leaves and twigs that only footsteps could make and Reno immediately sprang to his feet, swaying and clutching his head when he had straightened fully. Elena shuffled through Reno's jacket and pulled out his gun, hurrying her numb fingers to turn off the safety and direct the gun towards the noise.

Rude broke through the cover of the trees with his hands in the air and his sunglasses slightly askew, very aware that he had a gun pointed on him and that Reno was likely to give an uncoordinated pounce at any moment. He kept his hands in the air until Elena lowered the gun and Reno dropped back to the ground with a dull thump. He then straightened his glasses and tie and brushed as many broken bits of tree and human as he could off of his shirt. "I ran into a few of your guard friends. They've been taken care of."

"Dammit Rude! We weren't supposed ta kill anybody!" Reno growled as he clutched his swimming head in both hands and sat on the moist ground near Elena's feet.

"I didn't kill them. I took care of them." Rude shrugged and moved to help Reno to his unsteady feet, a worried look crossing his face as he watched Reno sway. "What happened to you?"

Reno shook his head to try and clear it and only succeeded in making the vertigo sensation worse. He was glad for Rude's steadying hand on his arm. "Jumped out a window, rolled into a tree, been running or hiding from guards all night, and then fell out of a tree. I hate trees. I'm gonna burn one down or somethin' when I get home."

Elena rose to her feet and stuck her arms through the sleeves of Reno's jacket. "You know how to get back out of here right?"

Rude rolled his eyes and strengthened his grip on Reno as the red-head swayed dangerously in Elena's direction. "Of course I do."

"Lead the way then." Elena took hold of Reno's free arm and she and Rude exchanged a pointed glance. Rude released Reno's free arm and began moving through the trees, his confusion at the relationship between the two growing. He knew Reno liked Elena, but he had never been sure how Elena felt about Reno. Even now as she guided Reno carefully through the trees behind him he wasn't sure how to gauge her feelings. He knew that she loved Reno, but he never thought she'd be able to see it. Being a third party observer privy to the thoughts and motives of both of them he knew that if they thought hard enough they'd find that they loved each other. Reno hadn't had to look far, but it seemed Elena still had some soul-searching to do. She slipped up every now and again, letting her guard down and allowing her tender feelings for Reno to show through. Rude knew Reno cherished those moments more than anything.

When they got to the car Elena set Reno down in the backseat and made to move to the front. Reno gripped her hand and wouldn't let go, forcing her into the seat beside him. She blushed and glared at Rude as he sniggered quietly in the front seat, daring him to say anything about their obnoxious friend's antics. She sat next to Reno and let him rest on her shoulder, his tired and battered body unable to hold itself upright properly as Rude began to drive.

Elena had to admit that she was quite comfortable with Reno's head on her shoulder, even after her arm fell asleep. She watched his eyes as the lids flicked up and down, his sleep and pain fogged blue eyes focused intently on her face as he returned her stare. She told herself she was making sure he didn't fall asleep again, but felt ulterior motives forcing her eyes to keep contact with his. She pushed the compelling feelings away with no small amount of embarrassment, glad that for once she wasn't blushing.

**

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Author's Note: So I'm working my way back to the super fluffy, anyone disagree with this move? No one does? Good!**

**Real life might cut in a bit on this, a lot of project stuff is due soon so forgive me if I take a couple days to get an update up. ^^**

**Also, there's a poll on my profile, vote please!!!! For those of you who have already voted, sorry but I've changed some of the voting options. ^^ Personal preference battled with your preference and personal preference was winning so I took out any characters I didn't want to write for.**

**Also, since I put down what music I was listening to last time i'll do it again. I was listening to 'Blue Fields' and 'Succession of Witches' by Nobuo Uemastu. Final Fantasy VIII piano ballads rock!!!**


	19. Chapter 19

Elena chewed her nails to the nub as she paced the too quiet waiting room. It had taken both her and Rude to cart Reno into the Shinra hospital and they hadn't seen him since he had been placed on a gurney and wheeled out of the room. Elena was frightened out of her mind and had irritably brushed off the doctors and nurses that tried to examine her. She was starting to feel the sore slowly bruising parts of her body that had collided with the ground during their tumble from the window but she did her best to ignore the insignificant pains. She also did her best to ignore the silent stares from Rude that let her know he wanted to talk to her, his eyes drilling holes in her face behind dark sunglasses.

Tseng walked into the room with all of his usual calm demeanor and gave them both a quick glance. He and Rude shared a quiet conversation that Elena politely ignored until Tseng stood in her path and stopped her pacing. She raised and eyebrow at him as he grabbed her chin and moved her head from side to side with a frown. "Why haven't you let any doctors help you?"

"Because I'm not hurt." Elena tried to push his hand away from her face but he only gripped her harder.

"Have you looked at yourself? You're covered in small cuts and bruises and this giant purple spot on your forehead is not a birthmark." He tapped the bruise with a frown and snorted as she flinched.

She ripped his hand from her face and backed away. "If you don't touch it its fine! It's not me you should be worried about because Reno jumped out of a window for the second time this week! You should be worrying about him!"

"He's not the one refusing treatment." Tseng crossed his arms in front of his chest and frowned at her, looking for all the world like a chastising parent.

Elena glared at him and mimicked his position. "Tseng I am a grown woman alright? You don't need to tell me if I'm hurt because I'm old enough to know. Fact is I'm not going to do anything about my hurt until I know his is better."

Tseng sighed and shook his head. "Fine. Act like a five year old. Rude, make sure she sees a doctor at some point tonight even if you have to beat her over the head and drag her in."

Rude gave a small chuckle that was quickly silenced by an angry glare from Elena. He cleared his throat and straightened his tie as Tseng turned on his heel and left the room. Rude studied Elena's face carefully as she resumed her agitated pacing, rather confused by the emotions he recognized in her features. He saw fear, fear she shouldn't have because they had seen Reno recover from things far worse than a few bumps and falls. He'd watched Reno have his ass handed to him on a silver platter by a Sephiroth clone, not that he had fared much better during that particular fight, and Reno had lived through more explosions than Rude could count. It made no sense that Elena was scared for Reno but he could think of no other reason why she would be afraid. He decided to ignore the fear as a reaction to all the stress of the night and continued scanning her body language for emotion. Underneath the permeating sense of fear there was anger, dread, and confusion written in plain lettering across her face. He coughed to get her attention. "Elena, you yelled at at Tseng."

Elena clenched her fists and took an aggressive step in Rude's direction. "Yes I yelled at him, so what?"

Rude sighed. "Elena, what the hell is going on? I've only seen you yell at Tseng once, and that was after Reno jumped out of that first window. You never even _think_ about putting a toe out of line until something happens to Reno."

Elena blushed and her hands unclenched. She blinked hard, a few small tears forming in her eyes. "I have no idea what's wrong with me Rude."

"I didn't say anything was wrong with you." Rude snorted and patted the chair next to him, sighing with relief as Elena dropped her aggressive posture and sunk into the chair with her head in her hands.

"I'm not supposed to be this angry about something Reno did to himself." Elena sniffed and pressed her palms against her eyelids, hoping to blur the memory of Reno's back almost shining with black and purple bruises.

Rude folded his hands in front of him and watched the wall in front of him like it was the most interesting thing in the world. "Maybe you are."

Elena turned and gave him an incredulous look. "What?"

Rude sighed and continued to gaze at the wall. "Elena, how do you feel about Reno?" Elena blushed crimson and stammered quietly, gaping like a fish denied water. Rude chuckled and turned to face her. "That reaction tells me everything. You know he likes you, so why don't you do anything?"

Elena turned away from the kindly laughing eyes that studied her from behind dark glasses. She wrapped Reno's jacket around her with a shiver and rocked in her chair. "I don't know what I should do."

"It doesn't matter what you should do, what matters is what you will do." Rude sat up as a doctor walked into the room with a chart in hand. "How is he?"

The doctor cleared his throat as Elena's head snapped in his direction. "He'll be fine. We did a full work up on him and there's no broken bones, only bruising. He'll be a black and blue mess for awhile, but he's probably used to that by now isn't he? Whatever hit him in the head disoriented him but he's not going to have any permanent brain damage. Well, no more than he had before anyways. He'll have quite the headache for awhile though."

Elena threw her head back with relief and Rude gave an equally relieved sigh. "Are we allowed to see him?"

The doctor smiled and gave a cheery nod. "He's half asleep but you can go see him."

Elena jumped to her feet and pushed past the doctor as she ran towards the room he had just vacated. Rude chuckled and leaned back in his chair as the doctor gave him a strange look. He shrugged and the doctor walked away, leaving him to his thoughts.

Elena burst into Reno's room with a happy smile. She quickly crossed the room and gripped the rail of Reno's hospital bed with shaky fingers as she gazed down at him. He had either fallen asleep or was feigning the act, but either way she wasn't going to bother him. She smiled as she watched his chest rise and fall evenly and she sat in the chair beside his bed as an overwhelming sense of relief seemed to crush her. She nearly sobbed as the idea that Reno was going to be completely fine registered in her fear and concern plagued mind.

She started and jumped to her feet as the door burst open with an ominous crack. Professor Hojo walked in, white lab coat and greasy hair gleaming in the flickering fluorescent lights of the hospital room. Ever since his data fragments had managed to realign themselves into his present repulsive shape he had begun working for Shinra again for reasons no one could comprehend. No one cared to ask him either as conversation with Hojo usually led to being strapped to a surgical table for a few weeks while he injected all manner of things into places needles should never see. He didn't even glance at her as he walked over to Reno, bending over the sleeping man and looking him over as if he were a rather succulent lab rat. Elena stiffened as Hojo addressed her with his sickeningly cold voice. "This is the Turk that was injured?"

"Yes." Elena growled at Hojo as he pushed Reno's head to and fro to see his face from all angles. "What do you want with him?"

"He might make a lovely specimen for my next experiment girl." Hojo snickered over Reno and began lifting and dropping his arm.

"Don't you dare touch him!" Elena snarled angrily, taking an aggressive stance as Hojo's fingers moved to grab Reno's face once more.

Hojo glared at her, his glasses flashing as he snorted in disbelief. "I don't believe I take orders from you woman!"

Elena fished through Reno's jacket and whipped out his EMR angrily. "Keep your hands off of him!"

Hojo gave a short high pitched laugh as if she brandished a toy sword instead of a high voltage metal rod. "You really want to risk your job defending this whelp?"

Elena's eyes narrowed. "He's not a whelp!" She extended the EMR and turned it on, electricity crackling angrily up its length and making her hair stand on end.

Hojo smirked at her and walked towards the door. "I'll have a crew sent by in an hour to pick up this specimen. I don't take orders from secretaries."

"I'm not a secretary I'm a Turk!" Elena gave a snarling yell and hurled the sparking EMR at Hojo's retreating back.

Hojo stiffened and fell to the floor in a twitching heap, the sound of his heavy collapse drawing the attention of several nurses. Rude and Tseng walked into the doorway and gave Hojo's twitching body a pitying albeit disgusted glance as they stepped over him and into the room. Tseng picked the EMR up from its landing point on the floor and examined it with a disinterested air. "Elena give me a good reason why I shouldn't fire you right now."

Elena opened her mouth to speak but Reno beat her to it, causing everyone to jump as he jerked upright in the bed. "Don't get pissed at her yo! She was tryin' ta protect me cause the ass was gonna use me in an experiment!"

All eyes moved between Reno and Hojo, confusion crossing Tseng and Rude's faces. Tseng finally gave a heavy sigh as he grabbed Hojo's wrists with a poorly hidden cringe and dragged the scientist out of the room. Rude waited until Tseng was out of earshot and then chuckled. "Why the hell would he want to use you in an experiment Reno?"

Reno put his hands on his hips and gave Rude an angry frown. "You think I'm not good enough to be in an experiment?"

"If he's testing for intelligence he won't find any." Rude sniggered and ruffled Reno's hair in a friendly fashion.

Reno batted Rude's hands away and pouted. "I'm not an idiot!" Rude sniggered and winked at Elena before leaving the room, closing the door behind him. Reno turned towards Elena and gave her a suspicious glare. "What was that wink about?"

Elena shrugged and blushed lightly, not entirely sure why Rude had winked at her. She had a few guessed though. She cleared her throat. "You should lay back down."

Reno smirked and refused to budge. "I hurt my back and you want me to lay on it?"

Elena blushed and placed her hands on her hips, suddenly angry. "Why the hell did you pretend to be asleep? He probably would have left you alone if you were conscious!"

Reno shrugged with a small wince, noting that his expensive and tattered suit had been replaced with a thin and scratchy blue hospital gown. "I wanted to see what you guys would do. Nice throw by the way. I'm a little sad it didn't kill the bastard, but not all dreams can come true."

Elena sighed and ran her hand over her face. She sat back down and leaned her head against the railing of Reno's bed. "What in the world are we going to do with you Reno?"

"I suggest we _not_ send me to Hojo's labs to be experimented on. Sound like a good plan to you?" Reno sniggered and gingerly laid back in the bed, his swollen back hating his every movement. He had to admit though, he regretted nothing about his decision and would jump out of a window a thousand more times if it kept Elena alive.

**

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Author's Note: Well Shadow of Intent suggested I beat up on Hojo a little with Reno's EMR, and thats exactly what I did ^^ Hopefully it wasn't too disappointing! I'm just as upset about Hojo's survival as Reno is. The bastard just won't die will he?**

**The song I was listening to this time was 'Lust For Blood' by Gackt. It is utter epicness even though I can't understand a single word he's saying!!!**


	20. Chapter 20

Reno lounged in the hospital bed as he watched Elena verbally abuse a group of Hojo's subordinate scientists. She wouldn't let them into the room and held his sparking EMR in her hand, viciously prodding any of the scientists who tried to enter. He cheered as one particularly pushy scientist dropped to the floor in a twitching heap and was dragged away by his fellows. Elena slammed the door shut and flicked the lock closed while Reno praised her for her efforts. "That was a good jab there Laney! If you had aimed any lower he'd be a soprano!"

Elena pointed the EMR in his direction menacingly. "Not another word Reno. I'm probably going to get fired for doing all this." She was fairly sure Tseng would side with her on the measures she had taken to keep Reno out of Hojo's hands, but Hojo held quite a bit of influence in the company and he usually got what he wanted.

Reno rolled his eyes as Elena flicked his EMR off with a heavy sigh. "Laney there's no way in hell they could fire you! I'm pretty sure I'd beat the shit out of whoever tried to." Reno planned to do more than beat whoever tried to fire Elena, he planned to kill them. Being fired from the Shinra company was a death sentence. If anyone wanted to kill Elena for protecting him from that bastard scientist Hojo they would die instead, Reno would make sure of it.

Elena shoved Reno's EMR into his jacket and set it on the back of her chair. She would be cold without the warm Reno-scented jacket, but she was sick of having his gun pressing into her side. She sat down and propped her chin on her hands, her elbows sinking into the firm hospital mattress. "Why the hell does Hojo want you for an experiment anyways?"

Reno shrugged with a wince that didn't go unnoticed. "Don't ask me I'm just the future lab rat." Reno didn't want to know why Hojo wanted him for an experiment. All he wanted to know was that Hojo had found a substitute to replace him in whatever horrific study he was conducting on live people. Everything Hojo did to his subjects had a side effect and Reno didn't want first hand experience with the unpleasant conditions he had heard stories about.

Elena scowled and examined him carefully, noting his scrunch-faced wince with displeasure. "Don't talk that way. How bad do you hurt Reno?" She knew Reno like the back of a book when it came to his pain. When Reno was really truly hurt he said nothing but when Reno had a paper-cut he complained about it for weeks, driving everyone within earshot of him insane.

"I'm fine Laney." Reno's answer was short and he knew his tone told her all she needed to know. He wished he could convince her that he was alright, but he knew she could see through his bullshit lies like they were sheets of glass.

Elena pursed her lips and glared at him. "Don't lie Reno I'm not an idiot. I don't know who you're trying to impress by saying you're not hurt but you're an idiot if you think I'm gonna buy that act."

Reno frowned back at her and crossed his arms in front of his chest, giving and involuntary wince as the muscles in his back stretched and twinged painfully at the sudden motion. His wince made Elena's lips squeeze into a tighter line and he sighed as his anger deflated. He _was_ being an idiot and he _did_ hurt, but he didn't want her to worry. Lying about his pain obviously wasn't going to help though. He exhaled and ran a hand through his hair. "Laney I feel like shit all right? I don't think I have _ever_ had my back hurt this much."

Elena's glare faded into a concerned smile and she reached a hand out to push his hair out of his eyes. "That's all you needed to say! Why couldn't you just be honest with me about stuff like this? It's not like lying to me works anyways." Elena laughed as Reno nuzzled into her hand like a content puppy.

"I didn't want you to worry." Reno pressed into the hand that rested on his forehead with a happy sigh as his eyes closed. He loved when Elena touched him, even when she was hitting him for being an idiot.

"I'm going to worry no matter what you say to me." Elena giggled and moved to pull her hand away from Reno's warm face. He grabbed her arm before it could make it back to her side and brought it back to his face. She blushed furiously as he kissed the inside of her wrist and nuzzled against her palm.

Reno held Elena's hand to his face as he moved one of his to hers, grinning happily when she didn't pull away from the touch. He traced his fingers over her cheek and felt her thumb rub against one of his tattoos. He took a deep breath and gazed at her honey brown eyes, noting the exact shade in case she decided not to ever look at him again after what he was going to say next. He opened his mouth to speak when a harsh, impatient hand pounded against the door.

Elena growled and reluctantly pulled herself away from Reno's loving grasp. She grabbed Reno's jacket and held it in one hand and flicked his EMR on before moving to open the door. "Who are you and what do-" She stopped mid-sentence as Tseng raised an eyebrow at her. "Sorry sir, come in."

Tseng pushed past her and grabbed Reno's chart from the end of the bed. "How many windows have you jumped out of now Reno?"

Reno's eyes rolled back as he counted on his fingers, trying to remember all the times he had jumped from windows. He finally gave up and shrugged. "Don't know boss-man."

Tseng dropped the chart and let it fall to the floor with a dull clatter. "I've talked to Hojo and he's going to leave you alone, but I'm not. You're going to be supervised until your bruising is completely gone. You are not fit to work while you're in the condition the chart says you're in. Understood?"

Reno sighed bitterly and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Who's gonna be in charge of my house arrest?"

Tseng smirked. "Elena seems to be pretty good and getting rid of meddling scientists, I think I'll let her watch you."

Reno whooped with joy and pumped his fist in the air. "Ya hear that Laney? You get to watch me!" Reno was fairly sure house arrest wouldn't be so bad with Elena around to keep him company.

"Whoopee." Elena rolled her eyes as she mocked enthusiasm, a small smile turning the corners of her lips. "Can I get him out of the hospital now? I'm suddenly not fond of people wearing giant white coats."

Tseng chuckled as Reno gave him puppy dog eyes, silently begging to be let out of the hospital. "All right, he can leave. I suggest you put that iguana in a cage though, I don't need Elena being bit to death."

Reno jumped from the bed and ran to the door, yanking it open and grabbing Elena by the hand. He gave Tseng a sloppy salute and dragged Elena out the door as she stammered. "Reno! You don't have any clothes on!"

"The gown works just fine! I'm covered in the front who cares about a little draft in the back?" Reno's bare feet padded along the floor as he raced out of the hospital and into the parking lot, shoving Elena into the drivers seat of her car and crawling over her to get into the passengers side. "Drive drive drive!"

"Seatbelt!" Elena hurriedly fastened her belt around her and refused to turn the car on until he put on his.

"Drive drive drive drive drive drive drive!" Reno chanted as Elena adjusted her mirrors and started the car. Reno gave a loud cheer as she started backing out of the parking space and he grinned with triumph as she giggled at his antics.

Elena drove towards Reno's apartment with a large smile. "Are you going to put Trevor in a cage?" She didn't know whether she should hope that he would stuff the alcoholic iguana into a cage or sad that the poor little creature would be cooped up all night. When she remembered the painful bite to her arm however she felt inclined to hope for the cage.

"Sure am! We need to have an iguana free conversation when we get home." Reno rested his arms behind his head and watched Elena drive with a happy smile. He had decided earlier that week that this night was the night he would tell her how he felt, no matter what happened during the mission.

Elena sped through traffic and reached Reno's apartment complex in record time. He bolted out of the car before she got a chance to put it in park and then dashed into the lobby with a cheer. She hurried to catch up and by the time she reached his apartment he had already flung the door open and was busily stuffing Trevor into a cage.

"Come on Trev ya gotta go in the box!" Reno argued with his iguana as it struggled and hissed at him, snapping and biting at anything his tiny iguana mouth could reach. Reno finally won the brief struggle, shutting the cage door with a triumphant yell. "Sorry Trevor but we don't need you biting us tonight, right Laney?" He picked the cage up and walked it to the kitchen, placing a small bowl filled with strawberries and a glass of whiskey just inside the door of the cage. "Hope the booze and fruit makes up for this Trev, I'll let ya out later okay?" The iguana began eagerly lapping up the alcohol and Reno considered himself forgiven.

He heard a small gasp behind him and turned around, raising an eyebrow at Elena. "What?"

Elena blushed as she watched Reno's very bruised backside disappear from view. "Your back looks horrible!"

"So you were staring at my ass?" Reno smirked and stood up, hoping that his back wasn't nearly as purple as it felt. He had never known that purple could be a feeling and he was fairly sure there were better words to describe the pain, but purple was all he could come up with.

Elena could feel her face begin to burn up as Reno wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Go put some clothes on okay?"

Reno saluted her and skipped to his bedroom with a smug air, singing as he went. "Laney likes Reno! Laney likes Reno!"

Elena rolled her eyes and felt her embarrassment die down instead of get worse. She was still thinking about what Rude had said earlier that evening and wasn't sure how to put his advice into action. She sat herself on the couch and flicked on Reno's television, hoping that one of the channels she flipped through would give her step by step instructions on how to deal with Reno.

Reno pulled on sweats and a t-shirt as he thought about how excited he was by the fact that Elena was in _his_ living room. She was watching _his_ television, sitting on _his_ couch, and waiting on _him_. She would be there all night and he would most likely wake up in the morning to her smiling or frowning face, either expression pleasant to look at. The best part was, there was no chance of her leaving, not when she had been expressly ordered to stay. He crept back into the living room quietly and watched her flip through his television channels with a far-off expression on her face, obviously deep in thought. He grinned and jumped over the back of the couch, plopping down right beside her and snatching her in a tight bear hug as she squealed with surprise. He laughed as she clutched her chest and tried to steady her breathing, slumping into his arms. He gave her a squeeze and nuzzled the top of her head, noting the clip nestled in her mussed hair with extreme pleasure. "You scream like a girl Laney."

Elena rolled her eyes as she leaned against Reno's chest, trying to get her erratically beating heart back under control. She was fairly sure it wasn't just fright that was making it jump so quickly under her hand. "I scream like a girl because I _am_ a girl nit-wit." She stuck her tongue out at him childishly and her face heated up as his arms tightened around her.

Reno chuckled at the uncharacteristic display of immaturity. "Better watch who you're offering that tongue to Laney, I'll steal it if you don't put it away."

Elena jerked her tongue back into her mouth quickly as Reno wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. She didn't pull away from his arms even as she felt goosebumps rise on hers. "How would you steal my tongue? Cut it off?"

"I'd do lots of things to that tongue if it were mine." Reno sniggered and leaned down to tease the ear that was practically begging for nibbles as it turned an appealing shade of red.

Elena inhaled sharply as she felt his breath ghost over the side of her face and shivered as his tongue swept across the shell of her ear. "Like what?" She wasn't sure how wise it was for her to play along with Reno's teasing touches, but she didn't want them to stop. She had wanted more of his touches since she had had to leave the warmth of his arms for the chill of Rufus'.

Reno moved to bite at her neck, amazed that she hadn't thrown him to the floor and kicked his balls out his backside. At least, she hadn't done that yet. "I'd play nicely with it, but I might accidentally bite it. You know how much I bite things I like."

Elena gave an involuntary moan as Reno's teeth scraped across her throat. She tilted her head back to give him better access as her fingers dug into the firm muscles of his arms. She gripped him out of reflex, needing a solid anchor to reality as his feather-like touches tickled and pinched her tender neck. "I'm glad our other biter is locked up for the night. My arms thank you for that."

Reno chuckled as she reminded him of the disgruntled pet that had interrupted their last encounter on his couch. He mumbled against her flesh as he moved his lips up to caress her jawline. "He was jealous. He doesn't like it when other people get to nibble at me."

Elena gave a poorly muffled whimper as his tongue dashed across the spot where jaw meets neck. She straddled him as she shifted to give him better access to touch whatever parts of her body he wanted to, her skirt sliding up her thighs. All her inhibitions seemed to fall away one by one with every tender shift of his lips. She slipped her hands under his shirt and let them roam over his chest, fingers tracing smooth muscles. "Do I get to nibble at you?"

"All you want." Reno gave a small moan as her hips pressed against his clothed erection, the organ standing like a soldier at attention as her fingers ghosted over sensitive skin.

Elena groaned and pulled his lips away from her neck, placing them against her own instead. She gave a happy sigh as he eagerly slipped his tongue out to meet hers, twining them together in a passionate and needy dance. She make quick work of his shirt, pulling it over his head when they parted for breath. Her back arched as he gave a tauntingly slow tug at the zipper of her less than pristine and very ripped dress. She growled and moved to nip at his neck. "Dammit Reno just take it off!"

Reno didn't need telling twice, moaning as he felt her eager lips press against his adams apple. He watched with greedy eyes as he exposed more and more of her pale flesh and groaned as she pushed her hips into his, the thin sweat pants confining him adding to the friction. He wasted no time in pulling off the rest of her clothes, eager to see the body he had been tasting in his dreams. He was about to lay her back against the couch when he stopped and scooped her up in his arms instead, standing and carrying her to his bedroom. He couldn't stand the idea of taking her on his couch, not their first time anyways. He wanted the experience to mean something and a romp on the sofa was the exact opposite of meaningful. He slammed the door to his bedroom shut as Elena tangled her fingers in his hair, kissing him with a passionate abandon he knew he would never get enough of.

Elena smiled against Reno's lips as he moved them from the couch to the bed, the meaning in the gesture not lost on her. She blushed as he set her against the sheets and removed the last barrier of cloth between them, suddenly nervous as she caught sight of his length. He noticed and blushed back at her, cupping her face in one hand. He cleared his throat and Elena giggled as she placed a finger against his lips and answered the question she knew he was about to ask. "Don't worry Reno, I'm not a virgin. It's just been a while."

Reno chuckled and wrapped his tongue around her finger, pulling it into his mouth and giving it a short suck before moving to his dresser to grab a condom. Elena giggled as she was reminded of the day when they had gone out to eat and had had so much fun in each others company despite the oddness of the situation. Her face stopped burning as he sat down on the bed, pulling her into a tight embrace and placing a tender kiss against her lips.

Reno was in heaven, absolute heaven. He had a cocky swagger in his step as he went back to the bed and pulled his beautiful Laney back into his arms. So what if he wasn't her first? He knew better than to think someone besides Tseng would go their whole adult life without sex and if Elena had been a virgin he would have been very, very worried. What he was happy about was the fact that his size had caused that blush, a blush that went straight to his head and gave his ego the biggest boost it had ever been given. He pressed her back against his blankets, loving the contrast of her fair skin against his dark red sheets. He cupped her face in one hand as he settled himself between her legs, a little worried that he might hurt her.

Elena reached up and pulled his face towards hers giving him a whisper of encouragement before kissing him ardently. "Please Reno?"

Reno groaned and kissed her back, running his hands over her as he slowly buried himself inside her weeping entrance. Heaven felt like an understatement to how good she felt wrapped around him in every possible way. He waited for her to adjust and kissed every inch of skin within reach of his lips, reveling in the taste and feel of the beautiful woman splayed out beneath him. Soon enough she began whimpering and moving against him and he complied to her near silent requests, moving slowly in and out of her tight entrance. He was determined to make every moment he spent with her last as long as it could so he kept his pace slow, making sure she felt every inch of him.

Elena trembled as Reno began moving in a slow, steady rhythm. It took only a few thrusts for her to loose control of her voice, the desperate whimpers and needy groans flowing freely from parted lips. She gripped his shoulders as his mouth roamed her body, crying out as he graced her breasts with loving attention. Her hips thrust upwards, desperate to increase the pace as pleasure-filled waves rolled over her with every gentle plunge he made into her body.

Reno drank in her needy, breathy pleas with a euphoric air. His body burned as he resisted her attempts to go faster, eventually holding her hips down so that she couldn't unravel his fraying self-control. It proved to be pointless as soon he had no choice but to increase the pace, her desperate cries driving him mad with need. He panted as he slipped in and out of her aching body, his head resting against her shoulder as he concentrated all of his energy into his hips. He reveled in the glorious feel of her muscles tightening around his shaft and moved faster, loving the way she breathed his name. She cried out as she climaxed, the beautiful noise driving him over the edge.

Elena cried from the beauty of her orgasm, holding Reno as close to her panting body as she could. She had never felt something so wonderful in the entirety of her life and she clung to the feeling as tightly as she could, shining in the afterglow as Reno rested in her arms. She sighed and rubbed her slightly tearstained face against his hair, at a loss for words to express just how she felt for him at that moment. She had never thought about how different something as seemingly mechanical as sex would be with someone she loved and she no longer had any doubts at all in her mind about how much she loved Reno. When she felt him raise himself on shaky arms and pull his sated member out of her she whimpered from the loss of warmth. He cupped her face in one hand and kissed her tenderly, the gesture conveying more love than the sex had. She nearly started crying again and kissed him back, trying to show him just as much love as he had shown her.

Reno sighed as Elena kissed him passionately, unable to speak the words he had been dying to say for weeks. He wiped a few tears from her glowing face and stared at her honey colored eyes as she said them for him. "I love you."

Elena couldn't help herself and a few tears slipped out of her eyes as Reno gave her a bone crushing, yet strangely tender hug. He rolled over so that they were both on their sides, their limbs tangling together as they faced each other. She rested her head against him as her sated and tired body started to drift into sleep and he cradled her against his chest like she was something precious as he whispered against her hair. "I love you too Laney."

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Author's Note: *sniff* Awww the love!!!!!! **

**I want to thank every single person who has read/reviewed this story and I'm kind of sad to see this one end, but I'm sure I'm not the only one. ;) **

**Happily ever afters are so nice.......**


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